Lynn Raye Harris

So what do you do when you have the writerly blues? I just can’t seem to get back to work lately. We’ve had company, which has been a blast, and summer’s coming (not that that makes a big difference in Hawaii, but it’s a mental thing). I had a new idea last week and wrote several pages, but I’m still stumped on SEDUCING EVANGELINE.

In other news, saw MI 3 and THE DA VINCI CODE. MI 3 was okay. I’ m not a big fan, but it wasn’t too bad. DVC was pretty good, I thought, but I didn’t have the book interfering with my viewing pleasure. I have no idea if the movie takes liberties or not, but I liked it.

What about you? Any big Memorial Day weekend plans? Summer fun getting in the way of the writing? Is it permissible to take time off, or should you spend every free moment you can manage to grab working on something?

I did a bad, bad thing. I fell out of my ivory tower. I succumbed to the cable company’s temptation of free installation and a reduced price package. And I’m already fascinated by Dog: The Bounty Hunter. Ha!

Anybody else watch this thing? These people are characters! If you tried to write it, no one would believe it was real.

I’ve lived on this island for 2 years and never seen the guy. I’d remember him if I had. Who could forget him, huh? Now I’ll be on the lookout when I go downtown.

In one of the episodes I saw, he snagged a woman right next door to my friend’s house. LOL! My friend’s car was there and everything. I don’t remember him mentioning it so I wonder if he even knew when it happened. Now I’ll have to ask….

Kills me how they subtitle the locals when they speak. Is it really that hard to understand?

Anyway, company arriving later today. This visit’s short though, so I should be back in a day or two.

Aloha.

Wow, there’s not a lot I can say about the brouhaha going on over at AAR. As an aspiring-to-be-published author, I’m reading with rapt attention, let me tell you. And these ladies terrify me. I’m an English major and I hope like HELL I can find dangling modifiers and split infinitives and all that jazz. But I just know that some are bound to get past me (hell, they get past me on this blog). And then what? Here’s Adele Ashworth defending her book, but according to the Smart Bitches, it isn’t defensible. (Bear in mind that I have not read the book, nor read a sample, so I’m not coming down on one side or the other here.)

FOR THE RECORD, every single reference you sited as incorrect, in this post and the other where you copied sentences, has been taken out of context. It’s like reading a love scene aloud, by itself, over the radio or to a bunch of non-romance-reading friends. It sounds silly, and yes, maybe even pornographic. But when read as a whole, romance novels are neither. You’ve taken my sentences apart, and although I suppose I’m flattered that you spent so much time on it, I’m a little unnerved that, although you haven’t said so in words, you’re apparently touting yourself as a far better writer than I — with my sentences and words taken apart piece by piece, and most importantly, out of context. Frankly, by your comments, I seem like a totally inept writer who, along with the publishing community, is attempting to “bad-grammar” you out of your hard earned money.

Is the author responsible for every misspelled word, dangling modifier, split infinitive, etc, in her text? Does the reader have the right to demand perfection, or as near to perfection as possible, in the book she plunks down her cash for? (I know that typos irritate the crap out of me. Grammatical errors usually make me stumble, but not always. Damn, I’m doomed….). Can grammatical errors be taken ‘out of context’?

Ashworth continues….

Still, you have continued to take apart my FICTION novel as if it’s YOUR duty to expose me as an incompetent writer who has written a foolish story. I have to say, I kind of resent that. If you don’t enjoy my books for what they are, please don’t read them anymore. Since you think you know the English language so well, please, write a book yourself. It’s not as easy to do as you may think.

So what do you think? Is anyone right? Is anyone wrong? Is there a middle ground here? I don’t know about you, but this stuff makes me want to hang up my pen and go play in the ocean all day. I’m already an obsessive proofreader, but sometimes it takes days for me to understand just why a particular sentence I wrote bothered me so much.

In truth, I feel for Ms. Ashworth. I also feel for the readers who demand quality and feel they didn’t get it. Oh man, that ocean is looking good right now…….

Interesting conversation on writer names taking place over at Kristin Nelson’s blog. It starts here and continues for a few posts.

I have to admit that this is a purely esoteric rant because ultimately, what author name you use isn’t that big of a deal. This is purely something that annoys me and really isn’t a huge issue in the grand scheme of things.

I want to talk about author names because ultimately, promoting your work and getting published is all part of one big package of professionalism.

And, I think writers are potentially too hung up on their formal names (as in using first, middle, maiden, and last name). [Uh oh....]

I wouldn’t blame you if you are scratching your head at this moment, so let me explain. If you write literary fiction, I think using three names is fine as long as there is a memorable rhythm to it (Jonathan Safran Foer pops to mind).

Otherwise, three names is overkill and potentially not in your best interest (in terms of name recognition, ease of finding you in the bookstore, etc.) It can sound pretentious and if you are writing a big, bad thriller, it’s potentially defeatist. It’s James Patterson, Lisa Scottoline, Iris Johansen, John Grisham, Robert Crais, Lee Child. Boom, boom, boom.

Oh dear. Well, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the name I want to publish under, which is really a cart before the horse approach, but it IS a career decision and I didn’t want to give it too little thought at the last minute, if that makes sense.

I am not absolutely tied to using my real name, which really is Lynn Raye Harris. Lynn Harris is a total no go. There is an actress (nude pics available, apparently), a comedienne/author with a column on MSN, a personal injury lawyer, a gay black author (add an E. at the beginning), and who knows who else. My maiden name is worse. Hard to pronounce unless you’re from Texas (there’s a town of the same name, though different spelling) and just not too terribly attractive emblazoned across a book cover to tell the truth.

So I have considered a pseudonym. I have a few picked out, but actually deciding on one now and building a website–well, that really is shoving the cart over the cliff, isn’t it?

Yes, I have a website (and this blog) under my real name. I mostly did that because I wanted to learn how to build a website before it was necessary. Changing things to a pseudonym isn’t really that hard, and it’s not like I have a ton of name recognition on the web anyway. Folks on blogs know LRH, but how hard would it be to introduce a new name if necessary? Not terribly, I think.

So, yeah, I’m open to a name change. I’ll make the best business decision I am capable of. And it may be ditching the legal name for a fictional one. I haven’t crossed that bridge yet, so no major decisions necessary. But I want to be prepared.

Am I upset about the idea of having books out and not having my real name on them? At least one person in the comments trail of some of Kristin’s posts refuses to consider anything other than her real name. That’s her decision. But I can take it. I really want to build a career, and if that means LRH may write literary fiction at some point and Betty Business will pen the romances, so be it.

What about you? To pseudonym or not, that is the question…..

“A catless writer is almost inconceivable. It’s a perverse taste, really, since it would be easier to write with a herd of buffalo in the room than even one cat; they make nests in the notes and bite the end of the pen and walk on the typewriter keys.” — Barbara Holland

Oh, indeed. It’s simply amazing what one cat, let alone two, can do to interrupt the flow. But this one tends to cause the most disturbance. Ain’t he cute, though?

What about you? Any pets around while you write? What other sorts of disturbances do you have? It seems that the second I get really going in something, I have to yell, “Nimitz, get down!” He’s usually trying to climb something he shouldn’t.

Have a great weekend! I’m off to wine and jazz at the Bishop Museum tonight, so getting a good start.

Hey, I admit I’m envious. I harbor fantasies about someone coming along and asking me to join a group blog, a place where I only have to post once a week and where everyone is so talented and witty that I know by being included in the mix they think I’m talented and witty too. A girl can dream, right?

There are lots of group blogs out there in writerdom. Some are good, others not so good. At least one is so horribly self-congratulatory and full of self-love that I not only never go there anymore, I have developed an aversion to those authors’ books. If I buy their books, they will continue to self-congratulate and engage in group hugs and I just can’t stand the thought that my meager pennies have contributed to their narcissism. Perhaps they are truly nice people and my assessment is unfair, but them’s the breaks.

Two group blogs I really enjoy: Murder She Writes and The Lipstick Chronicles. There are also some blogs by newly published and unpublished writers that are darn good too.

So what is it that makes a successful group blog?

Over at MSW, they pick a theme for the week and everyone posts on it. I like the discussions that ensue. At TLC, I don’t believe there is a theme, just whatever the blogger of the day feels like talking about. That blog works because the women are all talented and witty and can bring an interesting spin to whatever topic each has chosen to talk about. (Who could ever forget the famous bl*wjob discussion?)

Writeminded is a fairly new group blog, and I’ve been checking it out. Just yesterday, Jan Kenny talked about trends, which was my topic of the day as well.

It seems as if the successful groups have a variety of writers, as in the types of things the writers write about. Self-love is kept to a minimum. Let’s face it, the last thing any of us want to read about is a bestselling author’s love of herself and her work. No, we love it when a successful author shares with us how her process is no different than our process, how she sometimes hates her words and thinks she’s untalented, and how in spite of all that she succeeds and writes books we don’t mind buying because a) they’re good and b) she’s one of us, in spite of her success. I’ll help that author all the way to the bank because she doesn’t think she’s better than me.

In reality, her work may be so much better than mine that I never have a prayer of writing anything half so good. But so long as she doesn’t make me feel that way, I’ll keep reading her and recommending her to others.

What else makes for a successful group blog? Romancing the Blog is great, but less the sort of group blog I’m thinking about. The Smart Bitches are fabulous, but they’re more reader oriented.

So what do you think makes a great group blog? And if you got any tips on how I can get invited into one, let me know. I’ll offer up a room in Hawaii, and a tour guide. Uh, no, I’m not desperate. Why do you ask?

For another discussion on trends, see Writeminded today. Jan Kenny ponders trends and wonders what others think.

It’s inevitable that, with the announcements on the street about erotica and paranormals being hot property, writers begin to think, “Shucks, I think I could write one of them there steamy vampire/werewolf/shapeshifter books.”

Don’t. Oh please don’t.

Not unless you love reading those books and want to write your own tale about the same things.

Believe me, more than once I’ve plumbed the depths of my brain and wondered if I had an erotic vampire book in there somewhere. Because those things are H-O-T. Nothing bubbles up from the cauldron, though, so I guess I’m still stuck with military romantic suspense.

Imagine my relief, however, to read this by Sarah Strohmeyer over at The Lipstick Chronicles:

Instead, I think what I’ll do is learn from my mistakes. If there’s any mistake I’ve made in this business, it has been to – at times, not always – concentrate too much on what sells versus what I love to write. Because in the end, the latter is all that matters. And though the industry will always, always push you to write yesterday’s hit, don’t let them. Stick to your guns. It could be tomorrow’s phenomenal bestseller.

I often feel the temptation, though. I suppose it’s inevitable that I’ll keep casting the bait and looking for that hot vampire and his sex slave. I’ll find them just about the time the market swings toward sweet close-the-door romances. It’s just the way my luck runs……

What about you? Writing to trends, or just plugging away at what you love to write and read? Where do you think the market will go next?

[Bear in mind that I've never picked the winning horse or the winning LOTTO numbers, that my stock portfolio is solid but not astronomical, and that I sold my house in the months BEFORE the market took off and moved overseas where I missed out on several years worth of real estate appreciation. OTOH, I do believe the housing market is in a nosedive and this time I'm waiting it out. Time will tell if I've missed the boat again or if I'm hot on the tail of a new trend. Which is really kind of the way writing works too, I think.]

As you can see, the vacation posts have gone missing. I still intend to do them, though perhaps they will trickle in at a one a week rate until they fizzle into nothingness because no one is reading them.

Indeed, getting my buns back to posting regularly has been difficult. I think it’s because I learned something whilst traipsing across volcanic landscapes and through tropical rainforests: I can live without the Internet. Not only that, I can get more done if I limit myself. And getting stuff done is something I need to do. I have requested revisions waiting. I have a thesis to finish. I have new ideas waiting for their turn. Must get busy.

Anyway, still catching up on my favorite blogs. Several good things out there today. Diana Peterfreund is talking about critiques in this post.

But more importantly, what I’m really looking for in a critque is not just to fix the bad stuff, but to make the good stuff better. I’ve been thinking a lot about that old critiquing maxim, “Don’t just say everything’s good.” I used to think that meant pointing out the bad stuff, even if it may hurt the artist’s sensitive feelings about her baby. Now I’m thinking it means that you shouldn’t just let good rest on its laurels. You should point it out when there’s good stuff that can be great.

It’s true that critiquing styles and needs change the longer you’ve been writing. This is one of the problems I have with my Wednesday night group. They are into a different, line by line style of critiquing that just doesn’t work for me any longer. Part of the reason for this is that they only want to read 5 pages at a time. What begins to happen is that people bring the same 5 pages over and over, or only bring the first 25 pages in groups of 5 before tapering off to nothing or starting something else entirely.

And, sort of a segue if you consider the ensuing conversation about first drafts, Lee Goldberg gets into a discussion about bad ideas perpetrated by novice writers (specifically, putting first draft work onto the web and sending out email to folks you don’t know asking them to read it, though the writer claims it’s not first draft and has been edited). The controversy rages in the comments trail where Lee is alternately praised, insulted, and slammed for his post.

This also brings up, for me, the question of being a writer. If you write, you’re a writer. But does that mean you share equal footing with those who have more credits than you? What makes a writer? Credits? Or just a belief that if you write and others read it, you’re the same as the Lee Goldbergs of the world? Sometimes, I grumble to myself about not being a real writer. It’s because I have a healthy respect for the process and I don’t believe that my words, as written the first time, are sacrosanct. My credits are tiny right now. I’d never dare use them to insist on equal footing with, say, Tess Gerritsen. Imagine the silliness of that!

I AM a writer, and I am dedicated to getting better at what I do. And I don’t believe published = godlike. We all make mistakes, that’s for sure, and not everything that’s published deserves to be. But when someone with a lot of experience tells you something’s a bad idea, maybe you ought to listen to the message, even if you don’t like the way it’s delivered. Just my opinion.

And now, for some serious fun, go read Paperback Writer’s post about the SOILs. ROFLMAO! I love the way she skewers RWA here. Sometimes, you gotta wonder about these ladies who judge contests. I’ve been a victim, so it’s not a new question for me. In the PAN ranks, I don’t know what it’s about. In the PRO and unpublished ranks, it really is sometimes the green-eyed monster. Other times it’s just inexperience. I cringe to think of some of the comments I’ve given in the past. They weren’t meant to be hurtful or mean, but I’m afraid they may have come off that way. Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20.

This is a writing blog, for the most part, but damn it, it’s also an “Ohmigod, NOOOO!” blog from time to time.

I graduated high school in the 80s. I had the big hair. I wore the skin-tight jeans that prevented me from bending over or taking deep breaths. I adored the skinny ties and thought break dancing was cool. Quaint little bumpkin, wasn’t I?

Fast forward a few (ahem) years. No friggin’ way do I, as a 30-something woman, want to ever wear skin-tight jeans again! Imagine my fear when the NYT runs this article this morning, A New Size for Denim: Extra Tight:

The market for denim styles with escalating prices has become so sophisticated that some companies claim to be able to predict where the skinny trend will lead. “Somewhere between October and next February, it will hit all parts of the country,” said Jeff Rudes, the president of J Brand, which expects to ship more than 140,000 pairs of skinny women’s jeans this year, with leg openings as narrow as 10 inches around. “This cycle is then good for 18 months to two years. It can’t get any narrower than this without stopping blood flow.”

I am not happy about this. It took me a while to warm up to pointy-toed Italian shoes, but I did. Am I doomed to wake up one day and think this is cool too? Sheesh, I hope not. I’m betting that my lack of a size 2 silhouette may prevent it anyway.