The Writing Playground

We all know how hectic the holidays can get. That’s why this year the playfriends are offering our best Christmas tips and recipes to help make this time less stressful for everyone. We hope you enjoy!

When my older son was a toddler, he was fascinated by the Christmas tree to the point of un-decorating and re-decorating it. Naturally I was concerned that he might break something and cut himself, or worse yet, pull the tree over on himself.

I’d fussed at him, shook my finger at him and paddled his behind to no avail. Then one day while we were out shopping I found a small artificial tree about two feet tall and the light bulb went on. If he wanted to decorate a tree, then why not give him his own little tree with unbreakable ornaments?

I bought the tree along with a small package of wooden ornaments and we put it on the dresser in his bedroom. It was his to decorate as he pleased. I explained this was his tree and Mommy had her tree, and if he’d leave my tree alone, I’d leave his alone.

It worked! And when #2 son came along a few years later, I purchased a second tree for his room. Through the years they added ornaments they made at school or church and Mommy’s tree and ornaments remained in one piece.

Cook 2 sticks of margarine and ½ cup sugar for 2 minutes. Pour over the graham crackers. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with 6 ounces of chocolate chips. Smooth with a spatula when melted. Put pan in the freezer until chocolate is set. Break into pieces and enjoy!

2 cups sugar                    ¼ tsp. Salt
½ cup milk                1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 stick margarine           ½ cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons cocoa           3 cups oatmeal

Combine sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Add salt and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter and oatmeal. Mix well and drop by a teaspoon on waxed paper. Let stand for 15 minutes until firm.

This tip is really a recipe of sorts as well, but a handy gift idea. The holidays are expensive enough, but I find there’s usually a slew of people I’d like to give something to, but can’t spend a lot of money on. Homemade gifts are a good answer for neighbors, teachers, mailmen, and co-workers. I usually try to spend a day making candy and cookies to put into tins and give away, but sometimes the time and the motivation is just not there. A simpler option is this mix for hot cocoa powder. Pick up a set of mason jars at the store and fill the jar with the mix below. You can fill the jar ¾ of the way and add marshmallows on the top or layer the marshmallows or chocolate chips with the cocoa mix to make it look pretty. That’s up to you. A little square of decorative fabric fits over the lid cap and under the lid ring to secure it. You can tie it with ribbon or raffia...again, up to you. Last thing is to add a little card tied to the ribbon with the directions for them to make cocoa from the mix.

If the whole jar thing is too crafty for you, buy cute mugs and some cellophane bags. I just picked up a bunch of mugs for $1 each at Big Lots. Fill the bags with cocoa and marshmallows, tie it with a ribbon and put it down into the mug. All done!

This recipe makes a large batch – about 15 cups to divide into the jars or bags. You’ll need a big bowl to mix everything together.

Ingredients:
10 cups dry milk powder
4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine milk powder, confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and creamer. Stir till thoroughly combined. Store cocoa mixture in an airtight container until you’re ready to divide into the jars. Makes enough for about 45 servings.

For the jar tag:
For 1 serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mixture in a coffee cup or mug, and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Top with dollop of whipped cream or a few marshmallows, if desired.

Variations:
Flavored cocoa is fun too. Adding some cinnamon or crushed candy canes to the mix gives it a unique flavor. Use your imagination!

This is a great recipe for breakfast Christmas morning because you make it the night before and just pop it in the oven to bake while you’re opening presents. It’s all the goodness of French Toast without individually grilling up each piece. This recipe came from Paula Deen, the southern goddess of the kitchen, so know that it will be awesome. Fattening, but awesome. :)

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

I’m not really sure I have a Christmas tip. But I love hearing of other people’s holiday traditions because I’m always looking for something new to add to ours. There are several important ones from my childhood, like going with my entire family to the Christmas tree farm to cut down our very own tree – try getting six people to agree on which one is perfect. Not easy. Or counting the days until it was my turn to open the box on the advent calendar. Lighting our advent wreath each night at dinner... All of these are important in their own way, and most are traditions we now share with our girls. But there’s one that I absolutely could not do without.

Each year growing up, my parents would let us open one present on Christmas Eve night. We’d get back from Mass and race to get those pinchy shoes and scratchy clothes off. Once we were in our warmest, fuzziest, most comfortable pajamas we’d all gather around the Christmas tree, and a fire when we lived in Michigan. Then we’d argue about which present we were going to open.

There most certainly was strategy involved. Inevitably, the presents we got to choose from were the ones that had been arriving from out of town relatives for weeks. Those perfectly wrapped packages we’d shook, peaked at, and tried to wiggle the tape loose in an effort to find out what was inside. My sister and brothers and I would discuss...who was going to open the one from Grandma? The present from Uncle Mike and Aunt Loraine? It made a difference, because if we figured out the perfect way, we could pretty much know what was in the packages we hadn’t opened yet. That way, in the morning, we could concentrate on what had come from Santa.

As we grew up, the Christmas Children’s Mass changed to Midnight Mass and eventually we moved from opening our present at 7 or 8 o’clock at night to opening those presents at 1 or 2 in the morning. But the excitement never changed. Now, instead of opening my own present I get to watch my girls open theirs.

Every Christmas morning my family gets up, opens presents, and then sits down to share this casserole (We do it on Easter morning too...) You prepare it the day before, leave it in the frig, and then pop it in the oven before presents. By the time everything’s opened breakfast is ready.

12 slices bread (buttered on both sides)
8 oz. sliced ham
8 oz. swiss or other cheese
3 cups milk
6 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
Dash tobasco (I leave this out)

Grease 9X13 pan. Remove crusts (I don’t do this) and butter both sides. Place 6 slices in the bottom of prepared pan. Alternate ham and cheese slices on bread. Cover with remaining slices of bread. Buttered side out. Mix and beat well, milk, eggs, and seasonings. Pour over sandwiches. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

My first holiday tip is to do something YOU enjoy to celebrate the Christmas season. Many times we rush to fit everyone else's expectations into our busy schedules, but don't do the same for ourselves, and resulting in a let-down feeling after all the presents are unwrapped. For myself, I love Christmas lights. So every year we drive around the neighborhood and look at what the neighbors have put up. I also make it a point of going to the local botanical gardens, which has an award-winning display, even if I have to swing by on my own.

I hit the stores on December 26th. Well, it's not what you think. When the after-Christmas sales roll around, I stock up on holiday-themed items to give as gifts the next year. Snowman towels and star candles make great teachers gifts or basket filler. All those bath sets that can be had for $5 or $6 dollars after Christmas become handy, inexpensive birthday presents for that aunt or cousin who has everything.

2 cans canned chili (your brand/type of choice)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 package shredded cheddar cheese

In a microwave safe container, place cream cheese. Soften in microwave. Stir in canned chili and heat through. Stir in cheese and heat until completely melted.

Serve with crackers of choice or corn chips. You could also pour the dip over Scoop corn chips and serve as a chili-cheese pie.

My favorite Christmas cake is my Mother's Red Velvet Cake. I don't care for pecans in my frosting, so I leave them out. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do:

2 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1oz. bottles red food coloring
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp. cocoa
1 tsp. white vinegar
2 large eggs

Frosting:
1 1/3 stick butter
10 oz. cream cheese (full fat, don't skimp!)
1-1 pound box confectioners sugar
1 ½ cups pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all cake ingredients with a mixer. Grease 3-9 inch round pans and pour in batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool before frosting.
Mix all frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cake.

I’m not crafty-enough to do very many homemade gifts. I’m not organized enough for my Christmas not to be a three-ring fire drill. My holiday hint? Fix a large cup of hot chocolate, lace liberally with peppermint schnapps (or Bailey’s Irish Cream), and wrap up in a nice warm blankie for 30 minutes each evening. (You can watch Christmas tree lights and listen to Christmas music if you like, but it’s not necessary.) Your sanity is important enough to be carefully cared for over the holiday season.

My other holiday tip? Shop on-line. The UPS guy delivers it right to your door and you never have to face the crowds at the Mall.

Peanut butter is one of my favorite things, and peanut butter fudge makes a nice change from all the chocolate going around at this time of year. So here’s my Mamaw’s recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge:

Grease a large baking dish.
In a heat-proof bowl, mix:
1-7oz jar of marshmallow cream
1-18oz jar of peanut butter

In a large pot, combine:
5 cups of sugar
1 can of evaporated milk
Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour hot mixture into bowl and mix well. Pour into buttered dish. Refrigerate until firm then cut into squares. Store in air-tight container in the fridge.

One day, I’m going to make a batch of peanut butter fudge and layer it between a batch of my Aunt Bess’s chocolate fudge. <thighs enlarge at the mere thought>

Battling the Grammar Gremlins, Part 5: Modifiers, Parallelism, and Mixed Constructions - by Kimberly Lang

First, a quick note of apology: It seems I got my numbering mixed up on these articles. (Here I am proofing my punctuation so carefully while the titles get all mixed up. Sigh.) This is the fifth article in the Grammar Gremlins series. There’s an introduction and three comma lessons before this one.

Let’s move away from punctuation for a while. (Insert sound of collective sigh of relief.)

When people talk about grammar, we seem to focus on punctuation rules and subject-verb agreement issues. We forget (or don’t realize) that grammar is actually the structures that govern the whole language, not just comma usage rules. Grammar covers how you construct your sentences, making sure that your ideas are presented clearly and without confusion.

Grammar is the logic of our language. It’s what allows us to understand what’s being said. For instance, you can’t arbitrarily decide you don’t like the good old English structure of Subject-Verb-Object. The boy bit the dog is a very different sentence from The dog bit the boy. Your innate understanding of English grammar, including the Subject-Verb-Object pattern, tells you who got bitten in this sentence. English grammar has rules of construction that simply cannot be messed with—ever. (Bit the boy the dog just doesn’t make sense.) Without grammar, language is nothing but random vocabulary words, and random words don’t carry meaning effectively.

If English is your first language, you have an innate knowledge of what sounds right. You just know. That’s because you are accustomed to English’s patterns and constructions. When a sentence falls outside of those normal and expected constructions, you get confused reading it. That’s why problems with modifiers, parallelism, and mixed constructions have the unfortunate effect of forcing readers to wonder what, exactly, you were trying to say, and asking themselves if you really meant it to come out like that.

Newspaper headlines are rife with modifier problems: WOMAN KILLED BY BULLET KNOWN FOR KINDNESS. SNAKE FOUND BY CHILD WITH TWO HEADS.

Bullets known for kindness? A two-headed child? Both of these headlines have a misplaced modifier. Modifiers can be single words, phrases, or clauses, but their purpose is to give us more information about something else in the sentence. When the modifier is misplaced, we apply the information to the wrong part of the sentence.

Tacky and falling apart at the seams, Jenny took the couch home for the dog to sleep on.

Who or what is tacky and falling apart at the seams? According to this sentence, it’s Jenny. We automatically attach this modifying (adjective) phrase to the first noun we hit in the sentence. The writer probably meant the couch, but the modifier is misplaced, and Jenny is insulted. There’s no easy fix; the sentence has to be rewritten. Keep your modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify so readers know what you’re referring to.

I have many books by writers I have met on my shelves. (Boy, my shelves are a popular place to be!) Based on our innate knowledge of English, we want the prepositional phrase that follows “met” to tell us where. One the shelves does tell us where, but it tells us where the books are—not where we met the writers. So you need to rewrite: I have many books on my shelves by writers I have met.

Misplaced modifiers often create absurd (and downright funny) sentences, but they can also create ambiguity:

The writing group I meet with occasionally helps each other solve plot problems. Do you only meet with the group occasionally or do you only occasionally help each other with plot problems? The sentence has to be re-written to clear up that ambiguity.

I occasionally meet with a writing group who help each other solve plot problems.
Or,
The writing group I meet with helps each other solve plot problems occasionally.

The difference between a misplaced modifier and a dangling one is while the misplaced modifier modifies the wrong thing, a dangling modifier has nothing at all to modify.

Being a parent of small children, safety becomes the ultimate factor when selecting an efficient mode of transportation.

Nothing in that sentence has the ability to be a parent of a small child, so the modifier being the parent of small children has nothing to modify. It dangles out there, alone, making no sense at all.

While folding laundry, the tornado sirens went off. (I wish the tornado sirens would come to my house and do the laundry.) Try: The tornado sirens went off while I was folding laundry or While I was folding laundry, the tornado sirens went off.

Because a dangling modifier has nothing in the sentence to modify, you cannot fix the problem by simply moving the modifier to a different place. After all, The tornado sirens went off while folding laundry doesn’t make any more sense than the original. Someone needs to be folding that laundry—we need an “actor” for the action.

Remember, a sentence with a misplaced or dangling modifier will often make perfect sense to YOU because you know what you meant to say. Cold proofreads or another set of eyes are often the only way to catch these gremlins.

Parallelism is a very hard word for me to say, but it is a very important idea in grammar.
Items in a sentence of equal grammatical weight or value should have the same grammatical structure. Take Dorothy Parker’s famous quote:

This novel is not to be tossed lightly aside, but to be hurled with great force.

Notice how the actions themselves are parallel in importance? Therefore the structure (to be tossed…to be hurled) is also parallel.

Here’s another example: We went hunting, fishing, and camped in the woods. All three actions are equal, but we have two –ing verbs followed by an –ed verb. This structure is not parallel. The correct structure would be We went hunting, fishing, and camping in the woods or We hunted, fished, and camped in the woods.

Items in a series should be parallel. If you start with nouns, keep all the items in a series as nouns (Symptoms of drug use include sleeplessness, anxiety, and paranoia.). If you start with –ed verbs, stick with –ed verbs.

Ideas linked with coordinating conjunctions (Penalties for plagiarism include suspension and expulsion from school) should be kept parallel, as should any ideas presented in pairs. This includes comparisons using like or as, and ideas using correlative conjunctions (either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also, both…and).

[Coordinating conjunctions and items in a series are discussed in the Gremlin article “Commas, Part 1.”]

Mixed Constructions occur when your sentence elements defy the laws of grammar and/or logic.

Try this sentence: For most drivers who have a blood alcohol level of .05 percent double their risk of causing an accident. (This sentence is borrowed in its entirety from Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference, p113, for the purpose of illustration.)

Huh? We start with a prepositional phrase that really should have been a modifier, but then tries to act as the subject of the sentence. This is a case of the writer changing his/her mind midway through the sentence and forgetting to go back and revise.

Or this one: Terriers, on the other hand, are very small dogs that are also short-haired, but they are used in hunting by driving game from burrows and then being killed.

I’m forever grateful to the student who turned this sentence in to me. It’s the perfect example of getting to the end of a sentence without paying attention to how you got there.

Faulty predication is a type of mixed construction where the subject and the predicate don’t make sense together.

We need new dummies to teach the CPR class.

Hmm, calling the teacher a dummy is not a good way to get a good grade. And would you really want a dummy teaching something as important as CPR? We need to purchase new dummies for use in the CPR class.

A software designer, a fast-growing career field, has a high entry-level salary.

A career field is a thing. A software designer is a person. Remember, an appositive renames the noun. As such, it must do so properly. Software design, a fast-growing career field…

[Appositives are discussed in the Gremlins article, “Commas, part 2.”]

The last type of mixed construction is both grammatically and logically incorrect: the “is why” construction (and its cousins, the “is when” and “is where” constructions).

The rejection letter is why I’m so upset. Rejection is when they break your heart. Rejection letters are where they break your spirit.

Rejection letters are not a reason or a place. Rejection is not a time. It’s illogical, and it’s wrong.

The sentence Cleveland is where I married my first husband is just as bad. While I will listen to arguments that Cleveland is, indeed, a place, the sentence is the grammatical equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. I married my first husband in Cleveland is so much nicer. Simple. Succinct. Logically and stylistically clear. For my sanity’s sake, please rewrite all “is when,” “is why,” and “is where” constructions.

Most all of the above problems occur simply because your brain is moving faster than you can write. You know what you meant by that statement, but not everyone else will. Therefore, I want to stress—again—the importance of proofreading with fresh eyes.

Revising for dangling and misplaced modifiers, parallelism, and mixed constructions will make your sentences tighter, stronger, and more meaningful. Notice how revising these sentences would also cut some serious deadwood from your prose, making your writing flow smoothly.

RWA National Conference is a not-to-be-missed experience, but not everyone is physically able to attend. Since we were lucky enough to do so, we decided to bring a taste of the National workshops we attended to our readers this month. Come check out some of the little "pearls of wisdom" we picked up this past July.

Make It Last or Come Too Soon—How to Write Sexual Tension by Silhouette author Linda Conrad
Attended by Playground Monitor

“Sexual Tension is ‘thinking’ about having sex, but being conflicted about actually doing it.”

This definition was presented to the roomful of writers attending this wonderful workshop. We all know that heightened sexual tension is a must in a romance novel, regardless of whether the act is consummated “in front of” the reader or behind closed doors. It’s those pages leading up to that point that keep the reader vested in the relationship between the hero and heroine and keep them turning pages, sometimes wanting to grab the characters, lock them in a closet together and scream “Do it already!”

Ms. Conrad presented the ingredients of good sexual tension (dialogue, character actions and reactions, and internal POV) and then using written examples, she illustrated how to mix all the ingredients together to create both sensual and sexual tension that builds, peaks at the right moment in the story and results in a happy ever after ending.

These are some story elements that will create sexual tension: saying one thing and doing another, opposing goals, body language, showing and not telling, and effective use of all five senses in a scene. Also important is an understanding of the “12 Steps of Intimacy”, from Desmond Morris’s Intimate Behavior, which has been adapted into a fascinating presentation by Linda Howard.

Create sizzle on the page that not only draws the hero and heroine to each other, but draws your reader right into the story and keeps them hooked until the last page.

The Care and Feeding of Big Black Moments by Debra Dixon
Attended by Smarty Pants

I got up far earlier than I had wanted to after a late night of pitch writing to grab a seat at Debra Dixon's workshop. For one, it wasn't going to be taped. Second, the mother of GMC is not to be passed up. The room was packed with people sitting on the floor and standing in the back to hear what she had to say. The message was simple - the big black moment (BBM) in your story has to be nurtured from the very beginning of the book. You simply cannot throw a pothole into the characters' paths. She recommended breaking the book into three sections: the beginning, middle and end, with each section addressing different facets of the BBM.

In the beginning, she recommends you must build your characters and what she calls their "weapons" - defense mechanisms, backstory, etc. These inherent traits determine how the character will need to grow to overcome their BBM. In the middle of the book, you have to start throwing obstacles at the characters to force them to face their issues and call on their weapons. At the end, you have to strip the character to their bare bones - the BBM cannot be a simple misunderstanding, but an unavoidable crisis where the character must choose either to rely on their weapons or to grow and change.

The overall emphasis comes back to GMC as a whole, which we all know is important. The characters must have clear and well-defined GMC for the BBM to pack the punch we as writers hope for.

Hook an Editor on the First Page By Editor Allison Lyons, Authors Dianna Love Snell and Annie Oortman
Attended by Angel

This was one of the best workshops I attended at Nationals, and not just because I won the door prize. These presenters demonstrated exactly how long I have to catch and editor's eye with my opening-and it wasn't very long! If you don't grab an editor on the first page, she probably won't read the second.

They started with the NOTS—openings should not be back story, mundane, elaborate setting, or an off-the-wall attention-getting device, among other things. Then we moved on to the SHOULDS—openings should be something that creates a question, a sneak peek into a major character's present or future, a cliffhanger, or immediate dialogue involving the conflict.

The most intriguing part of this informative hour was examples of how to boost a mediocre opening into a spectacular hook that draws the readers immediately into the story. One tool for this is starting the story right in the middle of the action. For suspense writers, this is pretty easy, but it can also be done for regular romance. Just open in the middle of the inciting scene. Another helpful tool is to open with a question, something that prompts readers to wonder what is coming next or how the character will get out of the situation. Then readers (and editors) will read on to find out.

“I Do, I Do? Challenging Couples in Love” by Laurie Schnebly Campbell
Attended by Problem Child

I like books with a lot of internal (as opposed to external) conflicts between the hero and heroine. After all, external forces can be tough, but fighting your own demons is always tougher. So hitting a workshop where the internal conflicts of couples was first and foremost struck me as a good idea for my own books.

What I learned was that there are seven basic conflicts between couples (according, at least, to marriage counselors). These seven conflicts don’t have easy answers, and can cause a lot of trouble for a couple who wants to be together otherwise. I think mixing these conflicts in to a story will add depth, especially if you can layer them with other conflicts.

The major conflicts are:
1) Gender (Really gender roles. Everyone has expectations about responsibilities, but when these expectations are divided on gender lines, problems are bound to occur.)
2) Loyalties. (How do you rank your loyalties? Who comes first? If you both don’t see it the same way, well, misunderstandings and hurt feelings come after.)
3) Privacy. (Even the tightest of couples—the kind who are always together—need their own space. The amount of emotional and physical privacy each partner needs varies, and if one partner doesn’t understand the other’s need for space—or is irritated with the constant clinging—fights will ensue.)
4) Money (we all knew this, right? Values of earning, spending and saving vary greatly)
5) Power/Control (Think Rhett and Scarlett. Who gets to be in charge of what?)
6) Sex (Even the most amorous of couples are not always going to agree on when/where/how. And since sex and intimacy go hand in hand…)
7) Children (It could be having them or not, or if one has a child already, or parenting issues.)

I know you can’t write a book with all internal conflict. Something needs to be external. But adding some of these basic core conflicts can add that much more to your couple’s struggle to live Happily Ever After.

Writing the Bestseller, Six Magic Words By Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Attended by Instigator

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Susan Elizabeth Phillips speak on several occasions. Each year for nationals I scour the list of workshops to find when she’s speaking and mark that session in red. Nothing keeps me from it. Every time the woman opens her mouth I learn something new and useful.
When SEP presented this workshop in Atlanta, I was all ready for that elusive key, that all important trick, to finally learn that last little thing I needed to jump from unpublished to published. And I got it, but not in the form I’d expected (okay, not expected but hoped).

That’s the magic. The concept is surprisingly simple but the execution is amazingly difficult. Susan did provide a few tips to help each of us achieve that elusive goal of holding a reader’s attention.

1) Your goal is to write a compelling book not a perfect book. Readers don’t care if you’ve broken the golden rule of writing as long as they’re invested in the characters and plot.

So there you have it... a little taste of Hotlanta right here on the Playground. We hope you found a little "pearl of wisdom" to take your own writing to the next level.

The naiveté of youth. Ignorance is bliss. Beginner’s luck. High hopes. Blind enthusiasm. All of these statements were true when we started developing the Playground seven months ago. But as the Writing Playground celebrates six months of existence, one phrase keeps echoing in my head.

Don’t get me wrong; for five people who didn’t have a clue about what was involved in a website—much less a successful one—we’ve done amazingly well. I couldn’t be prouder of our site if I had given birth to it. I couldn’t be more pleased with my choice of partners or satisfied with our work. As with any new situation, though, there’s a learning curve to be navigated. Since we’ve done this series of articles to help others thinking about setting up their own sites, I wanted to share with you what we’ve learned through experience.

Updating:

We knew from the beginning we needed to update our site content frequently to keep it fresh. We decided a couple of updates a month would be ideal. But we never decided exactly when those updates would take place, and we didn’t plan what we’d put up each time. Our first few updates were hectic, as we all scrambled to find or produce new content and get it ready for Smarty Pants to upload. It only took one or two of those crazy updates before we made a schedule. We also further identified what our content would be.

We all want to know who’s visiting our page, right? We also want to have their contact information so we can send them postcards announcing when our books go on sale. Collecting data from your visitors serves several purposes—for aspiring writers, building a database of potential readers is one very good reason to collect data. Decide up front what you want to collect, how you want to collect it, and what it can and can’t be used for.

Our first priority—and I strongly believe we were right in making it so—was getting the actual site up and running. But we didn’t think ahead to how we would market our site once it was ready to go. The Playground had been up for two full months before we ever sat down and made any plans about how we would get the word out. Then we jumped in without a solid plan. While we had some extraordinary opportunities fall into our laps before then, it was February before we actually got serious about marketing the site effectively.

{See Kira Sinclair’s article, “Building the Writing Playground, Part 5” for more information about our marketing efforts.}

Slugs and martyrs:

You may remember in the other “Building the Writing Playground” articles mentions of divisions of labor. While I won’t claim our division of labor is perfect, we do try to divvy up work as evenly as possible and according to that Playfriend’s strengths. We’re also very aware that we all have lives, children, jobs—you know, all those things that keep us from writing—and that our time is not limitless. I think I’m in an amazing group of women—not a slacker in the bunch. Yet we had an email “discussion” not long ago about who was being the slug of the group. Here’s the interesting part: no one was accusing anyone else of slacking off and being the slug; we were each trying to claim the title as our own. (“You do this and this and this, and all I do is this.”)

That’s hardly the norm for most group projects. Usually, there are folks who goof off and leave the actual work to others, yet they’re there to take the credit. The martyrs get angry and bitter at the slugs. Things get ugly from there.

While we are not exactly quiet and shy in our real lives, it’s amazing how cowed we were by the prospect of asking people for interviews or shout outs. We are now the poster children for “The Worst They Can Do Is Say No” campaign. We’ve approached writers, editors, and agents for interviews—some are even big names. We’ve asked other writers and groups to link to our site from their own and asked for a quick plug every now and then. Sometimes people say “no,” but a lot of the time they say “yes.” We’re very proud of our website, and we are very careful to present the best professional face we can at all times. As long as you approach people professionally and politely, they won’t hate you for your request—even if they ultimately decline that request.

These last months have been a crash course in marketing, promotion, technology, and professionalism—all very important aspects of the writing career I hope to have some day. But the most important thing I’ve learned in the months since the Playground was conceived is how much I need this. If you’ll allow me a moment to gush…

The Playfriends used to just be my chapter mates; now they are my family. Writing is a tough vocation, involving long hours staring at a computer screen, frustration, disappointment, and lack of understanding from non-writing friends. What started out as simply a plan for a few friends to do some promotion and maybe help a few other writers get some encouragement quickly became my lifeline. We feel our way through the management of the Playground the same way we feel our way through our writing careers—sharing knowledge as we learn it, seeking help from those who have the expertise we need, getting support and cheerleading from each other for accomplishments and sympathy and condolences for the setbacks.

If you want to build a website or blog, I highly recommend it. It can be an amazing and rewarding learning experience. I hope you’ve picked up some great tips from these articles and that your site or blog is a rousing success. More than that, I hope you’ve picked up on the importance we place on each other. You don’t have to build a website; you can form a critique group, a goal-setting group, or a plotting group and get the benefits of your own set of Playfriends.

And whether or not you take the plunge and create your own on-line presence, remember you’re always welcome to hang out on our Playground with us. Just remember to play nicely with the others!

Did you realize that there have been times throughout history when writers and artists were viewed as crazy, or at least having severe psychological problems? That type of thinking still occasionally rears its ugly head. Though I don't agree, I do believe as writers we deal with some unique issues concerning our sense of selves and how we relate to our work.

As a person and as a writer, I'm on a journey. Far more than finishing X number of pages each day, approaching the mailbox (or email box) with trepidation because of what could be waiting inside, or even the joy of selling, I realize there is an inner reality to being born a storyteller. It involves the compulsion to put my stories on paper to share with others and the exhilaration that comes from working creatively. Along with this are outside issues writers deal with if they choose this as a profession, including viewing our art as our "babies" and the waiting and waiting and waiting.

I was thrilled to discover two books that specifically explore what it means to be artistic within ourselves and as a part of the world around us. They've given me incredible insight into creativity and this journey that I travel everyday. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.

This classic book is well-known both inside and outside artistic communities. Illuminating issues involving "creativity recovery", it explores creativity as a "spiritual" activity and expression for the artist, whatever medium she chooses to practice. Breaking through barriers in expression, whether they originate from within or outside the artist, is the biggest focus, although other topics are addressed, such as understanding different aspects of the creative personality, showing up to the page and writing what you hear, and "accumulating pages, not judgments."

Though you could just read through, this is actually a workbook, with several key activities required to accomplish the goal: unblocking your creativity.
Morning pages are three handwritten pages of writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness. Lovingly referred to as "brain drain," this process is recommended to unclutter the mind so that creativity, thoughts and ideas can finally have a clear path to consciousness. This practice also discourages the belief that you have to be in the mood to write. Instead, you just do it everyday, whether you feel like it or not.

I found that I usually started out with a litany of all that was weighing on my mind or that I had to do that day. It wasn't long before I found my pages touching on deeper issues. Coming from one who tends to obsess and worry about things, I found getting it out on the page kept it from cluttering my mind and solutions would often present themselves more quickly.

The artist date is a regular time set aside for your artistic self to have fun. A play date, if you will. Essentially, you'll fill up the creative well by doing fun activities like taking in a movie, window shopping, antiquing, walking, or stopping by the local bowling alley. The assumption is that you can't create on the page if you have nothing to create from. All work and no play makes your muse a dull girl.

Unfortunately, with two small children, I don't often follow through on this mandate. When I have time to myself, I'm usually writing. But when I do take the time I feel much lighter and energetic and view my writing with excitement, rather than just adding it to the To Do list.

"The morning pages… identify problem areas and concerns. This is step one, analogous to prayer. In the course of the release engendered by our artist date, step two, we begin to hear solutions." (page 20)

This unique book covers many more topics, including examining our own beliefs, how childhood affects creativity, the effects of destructive criticism, and how our dreams as artists are connected to the bigger picture. With the myriad solutions offered throughout its pages, I recommend this guide for all artists, whether you are struggling with blockage or not.

This is my favorite book concerning the life of a writer, because it overflows with insights into what it really means to be a writer and how to navigate the twists and turns of the creative journey. Palumbo is a noted psychotherapist specializing in creative issues, but he's also a fellow writer. Included are numerous illustrations from his own life as well as some of his friends and clients that show us we aren't alone in this sometimes crazy world of writing and publishing.

I tore through this book in record time, because it was a comfortable, easy read. I'd often find myself thinking That's so true! or That's exactly what happened. Palumbo offers snippets of wisdom you can revisit over and over without resorting to a list of Do's and Don'ts. This isn't a how-to book, it's "an attempt to acknowledge and address the real emotions that writers live with everyday. It's about winning the 'inner game' of writing… how to thrive in-and not just survive-the writer's life." (page 6)

One interesting phenomenon he highlights is summed up by the chapter name "The Buddy System." Here Palumbo discusses the tendency to find a Buddy to encourage you, help you learn, and master new techniques in many different areas in life. He's seen this scenario played out among writers numerous times.

For myself, I'll never forget the camaraderie I felt during my first conversation with another writer. Imagine my relief to know there were others out there who had the same desires, dreams, and people running around in their heads! But as wonderful as that was, it couldn't compare to meeting Instigator. Out of all of the Playfriends, she and I met first. We simply clicked and from that moment on she's been my Writing Buddy.

"Writers I know seem to gravitate naturally toward a buddy… Someone who understands the vocabulary of the town, the particular joys and pains of pitch meetings, rewrites, and development deals. Someone who, to put it simply, gets it. And, more important, gets you." (page 27)

I've been lucky enough to find that times four! And that, to me, has been the most meaningful part of my writing journey.

Building the Writing Playground Part Five: Self Promotion - If You Build It They Will Not Come By Kira Sinclair

Over the last several months other members of the Writing Playground have shared with you how we developed our concept, put it into action, and built our site and blog. I must say that the end product exceeded even my highest expectations.

And that’s wonderful. But not if the five of us are the only ones viewing our site, utilizing our resources, or reading our blog. Our purpose for starting this site was to gain name recognition, give back to the romance writing community, form friendships, and network. None of those can be accomplished without traffic to our site. Without those much-needed hits and blog comments, we’re just talking to ourselves. And frankly, I can do that much easier by picking up the phone or firing off an email.
So how did we increase the traffic to our site? We had a plan!

There were several points we stressed in our initial meetings that helped to streamline our later marketing efforts:

These are the vehicles we chose to use, the costs involved, and why we felt them the best choice for our site.

1. Loop and Website Announcements.
Cost - $0.00
Time – 30 minutes depending on how many notices you send.

Posting notices to all our various writing related groups, websites we frequent, and even other blogs was an easy way to notify a large portion of our target audience about our website. We go back and announce again when we update the site and at the beginning of each new contest we run.

Again, this is something very simple and quick, but we have documented visits from people who’ve linked to us because of our website address in one of the Playfriends’ signature lines on a message board. It’s easy, continuous, and something you don’t have to think about in most cases.

Initially, we’ve chosen to use a free Yahoo group set-up in order to maintain the database for our newsletter recipients. Kimberly, our resident Problem Child, simply composes an email at the first of the month telling all our subscribers about the new articles, interviews, extras and contests that we have coming out.

The most time consuming part of this is manually inputting the data for subscribers. We’ve discussed purchasing a computer program that would collect the data directly from a website form and automatically input the data into our database but because of the cost have chosen not to do that right now.

4. Business Cards
Cost - $25.00 for 500 business cards through www.VistaPrint.com
Time – 1 hour to design and order

Simple, bright, effective. We wanted something that would stand out but was also within our limited budget. We chose VistaPrint.com as our printer because several of the Playfriends have used them in the past and we found them to have excellent quality for the price. We only encountered one issue: using their templates limits your ability to adjust the design to fit your needs. However, there are numerous templates and graphics you can use to individualize the cards, providing most people enough options that they can find something to fit their needs. Also, there is an option to upload your own logo, provided it meets their standards, but you will be charged for each uploaded logo on a design that you purchase.

Something else to keep in mind, Vista Print is famous for its special offers – mainly free plus shipping. Design a business card you like, but wait until you receive an offer you feel is too good to pass up. Most of the $25.00 we spent was for shipping and the logo fee.

Now that you have 500 business cards what are you going to do with them? We’ve passed them out to other writers in our local RWA chapter and placed them into our chapter’s new member packets. We also have plans to distribute them during the RWA National convention in Atlanta this year.

5. Postcards
Cost - $50.00 for 500 postcards through www.Vista Print.com
Time – 2 hours to design and order

We have three different postcard designs because we looked at several and couldn’t choose. Again, these were designed through Vista Print and the cost mostly covers shipping and logo fees as the cards themselves were free.

What are we planning to do with 500 postcards? We’re going to be stapling chocolate (every writer’s friend) and sending them to chapter retreats, conferences, and luncheons. We’re trying to target those that provide the most bang for our buck – writer, not reader, focused.

We wanted something on our website that would keep people returning over and over again. And sure, while the articles, book reviews, and special interest spots on our site might do that, we also wanted to offer something back to our regular visitors and those that referred other people to our site. Holding a contest was the most logical choice.

With five members, we came to a rather quick decision that each of us would be responsible for a contest two months out of the year – we excluded November and December because frankly there’s just too much going on at that time of year. We set ground rules, spending limits, and decided to try and tie the contest theme in with our bi-monthly site updates. Our first contest, sponsored by Kimberly, revolved around the ‘first’ theme. She provided books from first time authors, a movie about first dates, and several other ‘first’ things.

We’ve had some amazing success and anticipate participation to only go up. We have several wonderful things to come, including our Win a Day at the Beach (almost) contest going on right now.

7. Gift Baskets
Cost – Varies, but we’re trying to keep these down to $5.00 to $10.00 per person not including the basket and decorations.
Time – Varies, depending on the complexity of the decoration.

It didn’t take us long to realize there was plenty of opportunity to market our site at sister RWA chapter functions. This provides us the perfect opportunity to reach our target market. Modeled after our own contest baskets, we try to fill these with playground-themed, friendship-themed, or writing-themed goodies. Split five ways, it only costs us a few dollars every couple of months and provides us visibility while allowing us to support other chapters.

8. Walking Billboards – T-shirts, Bags, etc.
Cost – Depends on the item purchased but around $17.00 for a basic t-shirt from CafePress.com.
Time – Designing and formatting the logos was the most time consuming. Luckily we have access to a wonderful computer geek; Kimberly lovingly refers to him as husband.

Look for the five of us in Atlanta sporting our matching Writing Playground t-shirts. Walking advertisement is well worth the expense and honestly, Café Press can be just as addictive as Vista Print. We chose this site for several reasons: the price, quality, and because we could order one or two of each item.

Not only are we using these items as a roving form of advertisement, we also intend to purchase different items and place them into contest baskets and things we provide to RWA chapters. I know I’m looking forward to putting a Writing Playground thong in my Sizzling Summer Nights basket in July and August.

9. Promotional Items
Cost – Depends on item purchased. We spent around $100.
Time – Placing our stickers onto the items was the most time consuming, but even that task didn’t take long divided five ways.

There are plenty of sources for unique and interesting promotional items. A simple internet search can turn up hundreds. One of our favorites is the Oriental Trading Company but even Ebay can be a source for new, inexpensive and customizable gadgets and gizmos. Your options are limited only by your imagination. However, I do have one word of caution; make sure you investigate any company you intend to spend your money with. It’s simply solid business practice.

You might ask where we’re planning to use one-hundred dollars worth of marketing materials. The 2006 RWA National Convention in Atlanta presents us with a unique opportunity to reach thousands of potential visitors to our site. It was an opportunity we didn’t want to pass up and one we thought well worth the expense. We concentrated much of our promotional budget into this one item; however, we feel the potential far outweighs the cost.

What might you ask is our wonderful item? It certainly ties in beautifully with our theme but, as for specifics, you’ll just have to wait and see in Atlanta.

Overall, there are several lessons we’ve learned in our journey through the sometimes confusing world of self-promotion. Whether you’re published or unpublished, established or just starting out in your career, these lessons are easily applied to any promotion you’ll be doing.

Kira Sinclair is the self-appointed Vista Print goddess of the Writing Playground. A multiple contest finalist, she recently placed 2nd in the Blaze contest and hopes to be using everything she’s learned to promote her first book soon. Visit her at www.writingplayground.com to share your own ideas on self-promotion.

Building the Writing Playground Part IV: Life in the Blogosphere by Marilyn Puett

In my day, girls wrote in a locked diary tucked away in a safe place with the key on a chain around your neck. Heaven forbid a sibling should get hold of this journal intime because it usually held the diarist’s deepest, darkest secrets.

Today girls young and old, as well as men of all ages, post their secrets, dreams, wishes, likes, dislikes and heaven only knows what else on blogs. Should they click the right button and make the blog public, their innermost thoughts are available for perusal by anyone with access to a computer and the World Wide Web.

Blog, the shortened version of the word weblog, is a personal website offering frequent updates, personal opinions, news, links and an endless variety of other “stuff,” which is generally organized chronologically.

According to statistics in the Blog Herald, the blog about blogging, more than 50 million blogs exist worldwide. The posts range from the ordinary to the absurd. Just go to www.technorati.com, the premier tracking site for blogs, and type anything into the search field. There’s a blog about everything. And Technorati estimates that 70,000 new blogs are created every day.

Who reads blogs? About 11% of Internet users, or roughly 50 million people, read blogs regularly. And with the wide use of hyperlinks, a word or words, which when clicked upon, will take you to another web page, you can read and click for hours.

Who blogs? Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show is a blogger. So are actor Jeff Bridges, humor columnist Dave Barry, chef Jamie Oliver, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and even Donald Trump.

Blogging has become quite popular among authors, and in the romance world, many authors maintain either individual or group blogs. Bronwyn Jameson (www.bronwynjameson.com/blog), who writes for Silhouette Desire, said that she resisted blogging for a long while for fear of it becoming a time sponge. But during a recent update of her website, she was looking for a way to update news regularly and quickly without having to use her web designer. A blog seemed to be the answer. Additionally it has become a forum for interacting with readers. She posts her writing and family news, runs impromptu contests and shares about her Australian way of life via photos and entries that cover traditions and Aussie words and phrases. She also said that she finds the blog a great mind-starter for the day, especially if her brain is a little sluggish. Aside from the time factor, she cautions that regular updates are a must; too many visits without an update and readers stop coming back.

Heart of Dixie author Kelley St. John is part of a group author blog. She said that being part of the Warner Women blog (www.warnerwomen.blogspot.com) was the right move for her at this point in her career. She has one day each month when she posts. The group blog gives you visibility and group support without the responsibility of keeping up a blog on a daily basis.

Alesia Holiday is part of a another group called Literary Chicks (www.literarychicks.com). Their blog is totally geared toward their readers. Alesia feels that the enormous advantage of a group blog is the energy and excitement created by different authors as well as the limited time commitment. She cautions, however, that no matter how you blog – individually or in a group – the blog is out there in cyberspace for everyone to read. The writing community is actually very small, and vitriolic comments on a blog, especially comments about another author, an editor or an agent, will probably get around. Alesia’s personal standard for blogging is this: Would I mind if this were printed on the front of the New York Times?

Inspirational author Brenda Coulter (www.brendacoulter.blogspot.com) recently used her blog to run an interesting promotion. She offered a free copy of her latest book to anyone who would promise to write about it on their blog. She didn’t ask folks to gush about the book; she just wanted it mentioned. This new concept called “viraling” presumes that news will travel in the blogosphere just like a cold virus travels through a classroom full of first-graders.

Several literary agents are also involved in the blogging community and perhaps the most well-known is Miss Snark (www.misssnark.blogspot.com) who has become somewhat of a cult figure. She kindly answered several questions and even offered a sip of gin.

MP: Miss Snark, why did you chose the blog format rather than a regular website format?

Miss Snark: It’s faster, it’s interactive, and Miss Snark is “cloaked.” I can’t do this on my agency site. And the hosting is free.

Miss Snark: It’s fun! It’s a way to let off steam. It’s useful to writers I’m told, and that makes me feel good.

Miss Snark: A community of like-minded people, for starters. A sense of contribution to a group I respect – writers, for an industry I love (warts and all) – publishing, and perspective on what it’s like to be someone querying my agency.

Miss Snark: Pro – all the things I listed above in “gain.” Con – HUGE time suck. And it’s MUCH more fun to blog than do more tedious tasks so it’s been an exercise in deferred gratification – not well learned yet, but in progress.

Blogging carries some important caveats. Foremost is the advice given above: Would you want to see this on the front page of a major newspaper? Blogs are an open book and you don’t have to worry about your little brother finding the diary key for all the world to read it. Elizabeth Simonetti of Texas was fired from her flight attendant position at Delta Air Lines for posting photos of herself on an empty Delta plane. Blogs can also eat up a lot of time – both maintaining one and reading them.

So how does one start? The Writing Playground asked that same question and since I’d already been playing around with a personal blog, I volunteered to set up and maintain the group’s blog.

The first step was selecting a provider. Several websites offer free blogs and having already used Blogger (www.blogger.com) for a personal blog, I opted to use it for the Playground. A list of other software, platforms and providers can be found at weblogs.about.com/od/listofweblogsoftware. Blogger is relatively simple to set up and has various forums and websites to provide support and add-ons.

After we selected our provider, we selected a template or basic design. These are pre-programmed into Blogger, but can be tweaked with a little HTML know-how and some courage. I recommend setting up a practice blog for experimentation and then transfer what works to the real blog.

I set up the Writing Playground account along with individual accounts for each of the Playfriends plus the Mavens and sent them the log-in information. In a group meeting, we decided on a posting schedule and agreed on “rules of conduct” for the blog content. Then after a little practice and fine-tuning, we debuted the blog on November 14, 2005.

Kimberly had the distinction of posting our first blog and she had this to say about the experience.

“I'm still shaking because I had to go first. The first blog I did for the Playground was the first blog entry I'd ever done. I didn't want to turn people off on the first day or set a bad precedent. Stress? Just a little. I think the Playfriends sent me out first for a reason...I'm feeling a bit like the sacrificeable lamb. (Hey, she made it back okay. It's safe for the rest of us.) :-)

I'd recommend blogging to a group, if the group had a site or other platform to tie it to. Trying to run a blog on your own would eat up a ton of time just keeping it updated, and the chances of the blog getting much of an audience early on is pretty slim. At least with a group, one person is not responsible for updates AND promo--that is in addition to life, day jobs, kids, and writing the book you're hoping the blog will help sell one day. The author or authors need to remember that blogs are a penny a zillion--it will take time for yours to garner attention.

When asked why she didn’t blog before becoming involved with the Writing Playground, Kira replied, “ Because I wasn’t sure I’d have anything to say. The idea of having to fill that little box every day is a bit intimidating. But I can come up with something to say once a week no problem.”

Danniele is our resident introvert and I asked her if she found it difficult to post something that would be out there for the world to see. She wrote, ”As for being an introvert, I'm actually not finding blogging to be an issue. But there's a reason for that. In a class I took with Gwen Shuster-Haynes on Marketing for Introverts and Extroverts, she explained that Introverts are actually great at giving workshops. This seems like a contradiction, because they are speaking in front of other people. But the reason it works is because this is usually a ‘scripted’ event. I think the same is true for blogging. I'm able to think about what I want to say and edit it before it goes out to the masses. Now make me have a one-on-one conversation and I'd be a complete mess on the inside!”

Alexandra, our resident techie who also designed and maintains our website probably felt a little relieved that someone else was handling the blog. She did have this to say about the blogging experience.

“I really like the ability that a blog gives you to communicate with the world. With a website, you can put information ‘out there’ but you never really know if anyone is reading it or what they think of it. With a blog, you have the potential for people to read and respond. Unlike a guest book, the responses can be more timely and are specific to the subject or blog at the time.

From a techie standpoint, I love that the blog updates itself while the whole of the website remains unchanged. If we had an area on our site where we posted stuff like this, I think it would be more of a burden to keep it updated. With the blog, it sort of takes on a life of its own. A life that I don't have to manually update each day. :)”

The Writing Playground blog (www.writingplayground.blogspot.com) is a combination of things. It’s a slice-of-life, writing news, opinions, laughs and information. But most of all it’s been fun. Sure, there are times when panic rises because my deadline is approaching and my mind is blank. But usually something will spark an idea and then the words flow. It might be the previous day’s post, a headline in the newspaper, a movie I’ve watched or the antics of my family. There’s no requirement that our posts be related to writing, but they usually are because we’re writers. And that’s what we love to write – or blog – about.

Marilyn Puett lives in Huntsville, Alabama and is a member of Heart of Dixie RWA and The Writing Playground (www.writingplayground.com). She writes, reviews books, and reads a few blogs including the one that chronicles her son and daughter-in-law’s pregnancy. It’s a girl!

We’ve all been in a relationship that was easier to get into than to get out of. It sounded good at first – maybe he was just too good looking to ignore, funny, smart, or knew how to show a girl a good time. After a while it becomes clear that it’s not going to work out between the two of you. Maybe time has revealed he’s vain, ignorant, dishonest, a slouch in bed or just generally a bad fit. Maybe the time honored mantra of “It’s not you; it’s me” is actually true, and you’re not ready for that kind of relationship, commitment, etc.

So let’s apply this to your relationship with your critique partner. As any author knows, a great CP is as valuable and almost harder to find than a good man. Finding the right mix of honesty, criticism, sensitivity, and encouragement can be near impossible. We all head out into the writing community trying to find our “mate.” Sometimes we succeed and find a CP for life. Sometimes we fail.

You’ve failed, huh? You’ve given it a shot with this person or group of people and it just isn’t working out. Too much feedback, not enough feedback, a schedule that doesn’t suit you…maybe they are just downright mean and are ripping your writing dreams to shreds on a bi-weekly basis. You know you need to find someone else, but how?

First, you need to set aside any guilt you might have over this move. The most important thing to consider in this process is your writing. If the CP isn’t helping your writing process or helping you grow as a writer, they aren’t doing you any good. This is especially true if their criticisms are conflicting with your ability to write. A harsh or poorly given critique can paralyze a writer and that defeats the entire purpose. You need to be a little selfish in this endeavor and think about what is best for you and your writing – not how the CP will feel about it or how you’ll be viewed by the group after you leave.

Unlike breaking off a relationship with a lover, this is business - not personal. That doesn’t mean you should be ugly about it and storm off in a huff, but try to make a clean, amicable break as soon as you can. Personal feelings can become involved no matter how hard you try, so be gentle. You may still have to see this person in the future. Maybe you’re in the same RWA chapter or bump into one another at the mall now and then. You don’t want hard feelings lingering and the romance writing business is a small world.

Once you’ve made the decision to end the critiquing relationship, you’ve got several options of going about it. If you’re lucky, a simple “This isn’t working for me” could wrap things up. Sometimes you have to go a little further. Depending on how long you’ve worked together, this can be awkward, especially if it is just a one-on-one critique pair. I’ve listed four tried and true methods for breaking up with a man that can easily be translated over into breaking up with your CP. Take your pick.

These four methods span almost every personality preference, so hopefully you can find an option that suits you. Regardless of the method you choose, you’ll feel infinitely better once it is done, so don’t procrastinate about it. Make the call, draft the email, break the rule, but do it now. Before you head out the door to Starbucks, here are few last tips to keep in mind:

I know all of this sounds scary, but hopefully the incident will pass without drama and with any friendships intact. If you haven’t already found a new CP, you can take a step back to evaluate and find something that will better suit your needs. Either way, you’ll be back on the road to improving your writing and that’s the most important thing.

Chances are you’ll need press photos sooner than you think, for more reasons than just book covers. Whether for marketing materials, to accompany a publication, or to post on your website, press photos are great to have on hand. Best of all, they’re easy to do yourself.
     Hiring a professional photographer to take your pictures may be more complicated and costly in the long run. First, the photographer holds the creative control. All the pictures will be taken in a studio with stock backgrounds unless you are willing to pay big bucks. Don’t worry if you aren’t visually creative. There are ways around that.
     Second, hiring someone else to do your pictures gives them copyrights. You must have his or her permission to publish or copy your own pictures. Those rights can be signed over to you, but you still have to clutter the page with photographer acknowledgements.
     Most importantly, the price for a photo session in a nice studio can run hundreds of dollars. Yes, this is an investment in your career. But what if you could have better (yes, better) photos for a quarter of the price?
     We did it and so can you. Here’s how:

Preparations

     There are some things that need to be done to prepare before the actual day. The best pictures have several elements that combine to create a good photo.
     Begin by gathering four or five of your favorite magazines or any publications that contain photographs. Your choice provides a big clue as to your style. Someone who favors Victoria magazine probably leans toward classic, romantic photos, whereas a Cosmopolitan fan might want more modern, less soft pictures.
     Glance through the photos and advertisements looking specifically for poses that appeal to you. Mark lots of pages that you’d like to try. Don’t be intimidated by perfect models or exotic locations. It’s the general idea that counts.
     Notice specifically the direction of the models’ gazes and how the head is tilted. If you are prone to having a double chin, camouflage it by looking up at the camera instead of straight ahead or down. Also, if you carry weight around the middle, go for upper body/head shots or slimming poses in full body shots. Three quarter shots cut you off just where you are heaviest, drawing attention to your weight.
     Now that you have poses in mind, it is time to decide on several backgrounds. Choose warm colors, which flatter skin tones more than cool ones. For instance, most people look better against cream or off-white rather than stark white. I think a couple of inside backgrounds are good along with at least one outdoors spot. Backgrounds are easy to create indoors with already existing curtain rods and large sheets in several flattering colors. Furniture like a love seat, pretty chair, or small table can provide a place to sit or lean against. If you don’t think your yard has the appropriate foliage for outdoor photos, try a local park, pond, or botanical gardens.
     You might already have some special props in mind. Additional ones for writers include favorite books (fiction or craft). I have one I love taken with my favorite thesaurus. Animals that are near and dear to you can add interest, along with flowers, laptops, or a pad and pen. Just limit your props to one per picture. Too many can make the photograph will look cluttered and take the focus off of you-the author.
     The chosen backgrounds and your particular coloring will determine the best color scheme to use. Just don’t overdue it. If you wear a blue shirt, don’t make the mistake of using blue all through the photograph. Then there is no visual contrast. Your magazine examples can give you some suggestions on color combinations.
     The time of day you take your photos heavily influences the final product. Lighting is the most important factor, along with weather if you happen to live in a particularly hot or cold part of the country. Lighting is usually best before 10a.m. and after 2p.m. Sunlight that is directly overhead creates unflattering contrast. If you wait until late in the afternoon, the shadows can be too dark or the light will be shining right in your face. So decide on a time that works best for you and those helping you, along with providing the most flattering and comfortable conditions.

The Day Of

     Now that you’re thoroughly prepared, here are a few tips for the actual day. Make-up should be worn slightly heavier than normal for the photo shoot. Good make-up application will contour your face and make it appear more interesting and 3-dimensional. Practice ahead of time to get the look right. Remember to test “the look” with the clothes you plan to wear.
     A few lighting tips: Be sure to let in some natural light from a nearby window or door. Not too much, just enough to create a natural look rather than the harshness of artificial light. If you find that the lighting in the room is adequate, but there isn’t quite enough directed on the face, use a large piece of white poster board to direct light where you need it. You can also use this same method to block strong light if you need to.
     Now, I hate to burst your illusions, but this isn’t going to be a quick and easy process. Most of the time, you’ll have to take lots and lots of pictures to get a dozen or so that you really love. You may even have to repeat a session after you get the first photos back, because there may be some new things you want to try or change from the originals. So be prepared to take lots of time and at least two to three rolls of film.

Equipment

     You don’t have to have a professional camera to take good pictures. Digital cameras are popular because of the ease of use and ready picture viewing. Plus the photos will already be in digital format.
     While digital cameras are convenient, picture quality can be better with a 35mm. Really good digital cameras can be expensive, which is a problem unless you already own one. Also, many of these pictures need to be taken at close range, something often done better with a versatile 35mm.
     Another reason to go with 35mm is because black and white film. Yes, you can do this later on a computer if you have the right software and know-how. But why not just shoot a couple of rolls of black and white? Amazingly enough, some photos that don’t look good in color will be spectacular in black and white. Vice versa is also true.
If you have two cameras, one loaded with each type of film, you can shoot the same pose with both types without having to repeat the poses. You could also use one digital and a 35mm for close-ups and different types of film. If you don’t own two cameras, try to borrow one. This will save you money and possibly provide a set of helping hands.

Creating your own photo shoot is hard work, but a lot of fun too. When we did the photos shoots for our website pictures, it was like a girls’ day out. We got to play with make-up and hairstyles, debate our clothing options, give out opinions on poses, and just enjoy each other’s company. A lovely, girly, bonding experience! Once the pictures were done, we each had several we could feel confident posting on our Playground and personal websites, to submit with articles, or to use later in marketing materials. We hope your experience is as positive and uplifting as ours.

Danniele Worsham has been an avid photography and scrapbooking buff for years, though these hobbies have fallen by the wayside as she works hard to improve her craft as a writer. Creating her own press photos was an exciting experience. And they actually turned out pretty good!

Building The Writing Playground Part II: HTTP://WWW.COMPLETELYCONFUSED.COM
by Alexandra Frost

So, you’re sitting at your computer one night, feeling guilty as you flip cards in Solitaire, knowing you should be writing. Or thinking about writing. Or even doing anything writing related. As you move the queen over onto the king of hearts, a thought comes to you.

You continue to shift the cards around as the thought rolls about in your brain. A website. How does one even do that? Isn’t it only for published authors? Who would ever visit it?

At this point, you could continue playing solitaire, but you know you’ve already lost, so instead, you open your web browser and Google information on starting your own website. As thousands of links come up for domain registrations, web hosting packages, and HTML design software, a girl could say to herself – “Forget it. Didn’t I get some Ben & Jerry’s at the store yesterday?” Or – she could take a shot at the world wide web.

That’s what members of the Writing Playground recently did. As our group formed, homework assignments flew around. Kira was to find out what URLs (website addresses) were available. Marilyn was going to look for online blogs (online journals) and I was tasked with finding out options for hosting and designing the site. The title of Smarty Pants – a geek with a smart mouth – was bestowed upon me for my technical expertise. I was by no means a computer programmer, but I was confident we could get by with my skills combined with a good website design package. Besides, one of the Children has a husband with superior geek skills to keep us from going astray.

One of the first things you need to do is decide how you want to host your website. By hosting, I mean where the website itself will live. Sometimes your home internet provider will give each user a set amount of space to put a website up. For a starter site, this is a good option. There should be enough space, especially for someone not yet published, to put some information and a few pictures. There are also websites that offer free user pages like Tripod or Geocities. The downside for both these options are that you have little control over the website’s URL, so you could end up with something long and confusing for people to remember. Free sites also mean advertisements on your page including those annoying pop-ups.

If you want something quick and easy like: www.authorsname.com, you’re going to have to buy a domain. A domain is a URL that you own. You can go online to places like godaddy.com or Yahoo! to check if a website domain is still available for purchase. If it is, snatch it up! Our first choice was available when we first looked, but by the time we went back to buy it, it was gone, hence our new name, www.writingplayground.com. The costs can range anywhere from a flat fee of $1.99 to $35.00 depending on what kind of domain you purchase and what specials are available. You’ll own that domain name for a year or two depending on the terms when you buy it. When it expires, you will have to pay again to renew.

After you’ve decided on a domain, you should look into some of the online hosting packages that are available. Some places like godaddy.com will allow you to combine hosting with your domain purchase and it will cost less. Hosting companies usually provide several types of packages to choose from, ranging from basic websites with a decent amount of space and a couple email addresses included to a huge website space with features like secure transactions for online purchases. The sites run anywhere from $5 - $20 a month, but the prices drop if you pay for a year or two in advance instead of paying month to month. Odds are, you can start with a basic or mid-range package for hosting. If you find down the road that you need to upgrade, you can always do it then. We opted for a mid-range deluxe package that offered features we wanted like blogging and photo galleries. Our hosting cost us $7.95 per month by paying for the first year up front.

So now you own a piece of the internet with your name on it and a big space in a server somewhere just waiting for you to upload your website. What? You have no technical skills whatsoever? The terms meta tags and SQL scripts make you dizzy? You’re not alone. In the early days of web design, you actually had to understand the code. Now, there are plenty of software packages available that make it easy enough for anyone to have a website. Odds are that the company you are hosting through also has inexpensive site builder packages available for you. For a beginner, they are fairly easy to use and have website templates you can fill in for a quick, professional look.

If you’re more comfortable with your computer skills, you might want to purchase a stand-alone software package like Microsoft FrontPage or Dreamweaver. This software costs more upfront ($100 - $400) but you won’t be paying a monthly fee to use an online site builder. At the Playground, we opted for a more expensive option. We bought Dreamweaver 8 – the professional geek’s choice for website design. This is a much more advanced software package that allows the user to do things with a site that they never thought they would be able to do. In a week’s time, I had the site built with features I had warned the others we probably wouldn’t have at my skill level. I’m honestly wowed by it. I will warn you - its not as user friendly as other options – so before you shell out $400, try the 30 day free download from macromedia.com. If you’re completely lost at the end of the month, you may want to try something else.

If you don’t have a resident techie or the thought of attempting to do this yourself just seems impossible, you can always hire out help. We considered this option, but decided to first let me try and if we didn’t care for the result, then consult a professional. There are plenty of online services that will design a site for you and take care of all the details - just be prepared to pay for it. A cheaper option would be to hire a local student at the university to build the site and you find the hosting service for it. Again…more expensive, but if you haven’t the time or interest it might be worth it.

Once you’ve got your site built you follow the instructions of your host to upload the files to the internet. Congratulations, you’re online. Now starts the never-ending process of updating and uploading your information to keep your site current. Be warned, it can be addicting, so make sure your website doesn’t take the place of your writing – remember the site is there to promote your writing, so you’d better have something to promote.

Check out our website at www.writingplayground.com to see how our site turned out and visit often for articles, book recommendations, craft information and other fun stuff.

Building The Writing Playground Part 1: The Creation of a Website
By Danniele Worsham

This series of articles will take you step by step through the building of a group website. The things that work. Things that don’t. Instructions and stuff to consider. Whether you are working in a group or alone, we hope you’ll find some answers through our experience.

It all started as a thought. Each of us had it, but were afraid to say it out loud. We wanted a website, but knew that in order to have a good one, it would require a lot of energy and work. Some of us didn’t have the expertise. Some of us didn’t have the time. None of us had a huge amount of money.

Websites don’t appear on the Internet full-blown. There are many steps that lead up to the premiere. We bungled our way through many of them to reach the debut of our site. It’s a place to have fun, learn, share ideas, and write, but taking it from conception to realitywasn’t child’s play.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions… Oh my!
Before we began, there were many decisions to make. As writers, we wanted to come across as professionals and our website had to reflect that same attitude. Of course, it also had to be cute. Before you can decide how to build, you have to determine what you want on the site. Here are some issues to consider:

Theme, Color, and Style
Our theme came easily. Once we’d decided to create a playground, everything else seemed to fall into place. Everyone got a nickname: Instigator, Smarty Pants, Angel Child, Problem Child, and the Playground Monitor. The different parts of the website got “theme” titles: Roll Call (bios page), School
(articles), Playmates and Playdates (links, appearances), etc.

Our main concern with the theme was that we weren’t all about primary colors, the natural choice. Instead, we agreed upon a more adult, “stylized” version of a playground. But background color was still a challenge. Everyone had to like it, it had to match the photos we used, and be light enough to contrast with the font color. I thought our resident “Smarty Pants” would throttle us if we made one more suggestion. But the bright blue that became our current choice is beautiful and worth all the
discussion. It also showed us we could negotiate without anyone getting upset.

Checklist:
~Do you have a style or particular theme in mind?
~What pictures or graphics will be included?
~What colors do you like that match everything and are easily viewed?
~Will you use your real name, pseudonym, or a nickname?
~Does the style reflect the theme, your personality, and/or writing voice?

What features should you include?
Keeping website content fresh and fun is a must to encourage repeat visitors. If your website is only updated once every six months, what point is there in coming back for a visit? This means having more on there than just your basic “this is me and this is what I write” descriptions.

To keep readers, and writers, coming back, we brainstormed ideas that fit our theme. For instance, under “School” we post articles and comments on books we’re reading. There is also a “Locker Room” where
each of our lockers hides a picture of our current hottie. There’s even an Under the Bleachers section with information on more explicit writing.

A current trend on the World Wide Web is blogging. If you had asked me before this project, I would have told you that I’d never blog. I just don’t have time to do something like that every day. But I could do it once each week. Between the five of us, each one could blog one day a week (weekends off) and still keep the blog current. Not to mention the variety of personalities and topics. That was a type of blogging I could handle.

Checklist:
~How much time can you devote to keeping website content fresh?
~How often could you update-once each day, weekly, monthly?
~What features are reasonable for you given the amount of time you have?
~How will you encourage repeat visits? Articles, blogging, monthly newsletters, contests, recipes, photos?
~Will there be a way for readers to contact you? Sign up for a mailing list?

What needs to be done? When?
Division of labor is one of joys of working within a group. Each person left our brainstorming session with an assignment. But even if you are flying solo, you need to keep a running list of ideas and tasks that are waiting to be done.

For us, we allowed each person to volunteer for what they felt most comfortable with. This has worked really well. It helps that there aren’t any slackers in this group. We’re all hardworking and burning to succeed.

Create a schedule of when research and tasks should be completed, when the site will be “Live”, and deadlines for updates and blogging. Sounds like a lot, but everything will run much smoother if each person knows when their assignments are due. Planning makes everyone happy. Trust me!

Don’t forget that someone needs to type meeting minutes, so there’s a record of all those ideas and decisions. A simple 3-ring binder can hold really important correspondence, receipts, timelines, and
guidelines all in one place.

Checklist:
~Do you have a central place to keep all correspondence and paperwork?
~Match each person’s strengths with a task that best suits them.
~Keep a running list of ideas, deadlines, and purchases. Keep minutes of any meetings or brainstorming sessions.

Don’t Forget-This is a Business!
As Linda Howard is very fond of reminding us, writing is a business. Words and handshakes don’t mean anything until a contract is signed. We hope that none of our fellow playmates would neglect their duties or fail to pay their portion of a fee, but there are no guarantees. Instead of taking the chance
that one of us would hit her head and turn into the Playground Bully, we put together a set of guidelines that govern our project. Money is involved and, as money is one of the biggest causes of divorce among married couples, we didn’t assume we’d be immune to petty squabbles. Instead we got it all out in the open so everyone knew what to expect.

Once the guidelines were agreed upon, each of us signed and dated them. Though we know it isn’t a legal document, it was a clear reminder of what we were jumping into and the responsibility of the task before us.

Here are a few things we discussed and put in writing, just for future protection of the Playground and all its members:
* How and when will all expenses will be split between members and paid?
* How will monetary purchases be approved? Majority vote? Unanimous agreement?
* What happens if someone wants to leave the group? What will happen if the group decides to dissolve?
* Can new members be added? How will they be chosen and integrated into the existing structure?
* Are there any circumstances where a member would be expelled? Set up any criteria, such as misuse of group identity, appropriation of funds, neglect of duties, or jeopardizing the writing and/or careers of the other members.
* Are there any restrictions on what content may be posted to the site? For instance, we have agreed that no content may be posted bashing any editor or agent. After all, we’d all like to be published some day and it doesn’t reflect the professional attitude we have toward our careers.
* Who owns the website content? Who will decide if it can be reprinted?

When we set out to become published writers, we didn’t know the journey would include so many unexpected twists and turns. I never could have imagined myself as part of something as grandiose as a website. But the excitement when I see my name on the Roll Call page is like opening that mysterious
looking package stuck way back under the Christmas tree. In this case, it is made even more special by the wonderful friends and writers who share this experience with me. I hope you’ll be a part of our journey.

Check us out at www.writingplayground.com. And look for our article on website basics, “Building the Writing Playground, Part 2: www.CompletelyConfused.com”, coming soon.

In addition to being a mom and running her resume writing business, Danniele Worsham writes contemporary romance from her Alabama home. She’s published nonfiction articles and short stories. At the Writing Playground, she serves as the resident good girl, the Angel Child.

Good. That was actually a trick question, since there aren’t nine rules. The number of “rules” can vary depending on which grammar book you’re using. My current grammar handbook lists ten rules, but rule number ten is “to prevent confusion,” which kind of muddies the first nine and throws everything into question. So do we just ignore them, pretend the rules don’t exist, or (my personal favorite) just stick commas in wherever “it feels right?”

After all, the editor will sort all that grammar stuff out later, right? It’s her job, after all, and you’re too busy communing with your muse to bother with picky ol’ grammar rules.

Good grammar isn’t just for English teachers and editors. It’s for everyone. Yes, even you. I remember a conference with a student where he wanted to argue over a less-than-stellar grade on his essay. He couldn’t understand why the grade was so low when the content was good, and he’d covered the basics of the assignment. I looked at the paper, bloodied with the ink of three pens because the grammar was so bad, and told him, “I don’t care if you have the cure for cancer buried in there—no one is going to wade through that garbage to find it.”

And that, my friends, is the heart of the matter. You can have the most engaging characters, the freshest plot, and the sharpest hook in the universe, but no editor will ever get past page two if the grammar is bad. I’m not saying that one comma splice will kick you straight to the reject pile—we all make simple, stupid mistakes—but consistent problems with verb or pronoun agreement, awkward syntax, and random, absent, or haphazard punctuation will drive anyone insane and get your manuscript returned faster than you can say “Strunk and White.”

Have you ever had a contest judge or critique partner tell you (nicely or not) that you need to work on “basic grammar,” or that your grammar problems are “getting in the way of your story?” Does Grammar Check put hundreds of little green lines under phrases in your manuscript, and you aren’t sure why? If so, you probably need to devote some time to the serious study of grammar. Maybe you have the basics, but you just need to figure out the comma rules or the proper care and feeding of a semicolon. Either way, you must identify your grammar gremlins before you can battle them.

Your first step is to buy a good grammar handbook (also called a Style Manual). Some of my favorites are Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference (0-312-40161-2), LaGuardia and Guth’s The Access Handbook (0-205-28620-8), and Keene and Adams’s Easy Access (0-7674-2189-2), but there are hundreds more. Choose one designed for college students, as it will break down the grammar rules into easy-to-find and easy-to-digest chunks and identify the most common errors. Because students (mistakenly) sell them off after they finish English 101, you can find them dirt-cheap on sites like half.com. It’s a good investment, and every writer should have at least one handbook on her desk for quick reference. (Lynn Truss’s Eats, Shoots and Leaves is also fantastic, but it only covers punctuation. She’s also British, and while she does distinguish between British and American rules, getting into that melee may be confusing to some. It’s also not as easy to use as a quick reference as the handbooks above.)

If you aren’t sure what your problems are or where to begin, you may need to enlist the aid of a professional. If you happen to know an English teacher or editor, and you know she’ll be completely honest with you, ask her to help you identify your grammar gremlins. If you don’t happen to have an English teacher or editor in your address book, call the local university or community college. Ask for the email addresses of some of the English 101 instructors. Contact them individually and ask if they’d be willing to review ten pages and mark them for grammar problems. That type of honest feedback will show you what kinds of problems you have and how often they occur. Once you know what your problems are, you can use your handbook to figure out how to fix them.

**A note about contacting instructors and asking them to review your work for grammar problems. Don’t expect them to do it for free. Marking papers is hard work, so be sure to offer to pay for their time and expertise. Two or three dollars a page should be enough, and isn’t a $20-30 investment in your basic skills worth it? Also, I’d avoid asking university professors to do this. I know, it makes sense to go straight to the top of the pile (so to speak), but most professors have too many other things to do and will, at best, refer you to an instructor or graduate student. Part-time and adjunct instructors have hideously small salaries and need the gas money.

Now that you know what your grammar gremlins are, you must battle them. Ruthlessly. This requires commitment and effort on your part. Identifying the problem is only the first step. If you have problems with pronouns and antecedents, then check every pronoun. Is it a subject or object pronoun? Does it agree with its antecedent? Have you misused the reflexive? With a conscious effort, you’ll be able to conquer most grammar problems in a couple of weeks. (Yes, really. Grammar isn’t rocket science, folks.)

Some grammar gremlins seem impossible to slay. I’m an English teacher, and I have a few of my own. My ugliest gremlin? Using a comma to separate a compound verb. I know it’s wrong. I know why it’s wrong, and I know how to fix it. Yet, for some reason, my first drafts are littered with unnecessary commas prying apart a perfectly good sentence. Unfortunately, Grammar Checker doesn’t flag it. I have to go on a seek-and-destroy mission and weed the ugly things out, one by one. So don’t get disheartened if you slip up after you’ve worked so hard to improve your grammar. Habits are hard to break, but knowing to double-check yourself means editors won’t ever see that gremlin’s ugly face.

Remember, grammar is good. Really. Stop laughing. Grammar provides the rules that make your prose easy to read and easy to understand. Good grammar allows your engaging characters and fresh plot to shine though. Good grammar lets the editor hear your voice and be swept away by your story. That’s what you want, right?

To help you in your battle, I’ll be doing a series of short articles in the coming months identifying some of the common grammar gremlins and showing how to slay them. While many of these will be my pet peeves, please let me know if you have a gremlin you’d like to see skewered here. I’ll do my best.

Kimberly Lang wants to join the militant wing of the Apostrophe Protection Society as soon as Lynn Truss finds the balaclavas. Right now, she toils in the student trenches, gamely attempting to teach the difference between “it’s” and “its.”

Imagine waking up one morning, stumbling all bleary-eyed to the bathroom and discovering this note taped to your mirror:

Dear insert your name here,
Air Tahiti had a great deal on flights to Bora Bora and I bought a ticket. A one-way ticket. See ya – whenever.
Your Muse

Would you wish her well? Panic? Send out a search party? In the 1999 movie “The Muse,” Albert Brooks plied his spoiled and manipulative muse, portrayed by Sharon Stone, with expensive gifts and visits to the spa. If it were only that simple.

My muse, petulant wench that she is, took that trip to Bora Bora last year about the same time that my son got engaged, my mother—in-law had to be moved to an assisted living facility and shortly before my husband decided that we needed to move after twenty years in the same house.

I Googled “writer’s block” and tried some of the tricks that showed up in the results, but I soon realized that Albert Einstein was on to something when he wrote that stupidity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Since I dislike being called stupid, I decided I should try something different. More about that later.

After discussing this with various authors, I discovered that writer’s block is fairly common to one degree or another, and it can occur at any time and for any reason. Sometimes it occurs for no apparent reason at all.

Stress frequently plays a major role in blocking creativity. Janice Lynn, winner of the first American Title contest sponsored by Romantic Times magazine and Dorchester Publishing, said she suffered major writer’s block during the contest. American Title is conducted in a manner similar to television music reality shows, with readers voting and two contestants being eliminated each month. Her contest book, Jane Millionaire, was complete, but she had difficulty focusing on new projects. She kept writing, however, and when the contest dust settled, Janice stood alone and victorious.

Pocket author Roxanne St. Claire wrote that she prevents writer’s block by avoiding too much of a good thing. “Lots of contracts, lots of books, lots of deadlines. Yeah! No… too much pressure and the creative juices dry….” She also spoke of burn out, something that many highly productive, multi-publisher authors face. The fear is that if you don’t produce, someone else will step into your “spot” and produce instead. “This is a slippery slope and I cling to the rails every day to avoid sliding down it and crashing at the bottom.”

Heart of Dixie author Sabrah Agee shared her story about the curse of writer’s block. When she first began writing with the goal of being published, the words flowed like magic. But in the spring of 1997, her mother was stricken with cancer and Sabrah found her writing time limited because of caring for her mother. Her mother died in August of that year and seven months later, her boss of twenty-one years passed away suddenly. Shortly after that, she lost her job and found herself falling into an emotional black hole. Any effort toward writing was futile. “I’d sit and stare at the screen and my mind would be a total blank.”

Some time later she began working in an entirely different field and things began to improve. She never stopped trying to write and writes every day now. But she says she’s never been able to get back in the “zone” that was such a delight in her early years of writing.

One writer revealed that she hit a block during pregnancy. And yet another said she writes her best sex scenes when she ovulates. Hormones are powerful, and if you don’t believe it, tell a menopausal woman that she looks fat and see how long your head remains attached to your shoulders. The writer with the pregnancy-induced block said that two weeks after delivering her daughter, she woke in the middle of the night with a scene in her head begging to be written. Yet another multi-published author professed an inability to write anything vaguely related to romance while in the throes of PMS.

Silhouette Desire author Susan Crosby related that she went through a creative silence (her preferred choice for describing the experience) after her husband of thirty-four years passed away suddenly. His death coincided with the release of her eleventh novel and she was between contracts. “Maybe if I’d had a deadline, I would have felt forced to get back in the chair. What did spur me after eighteen months of feeling creatively silent was a visit to my stockbroker. Money is a great motivator. I came home and called one of my best writing buddies and said that I HAD to start writing again.”

The ideas soon began flowing again and Susan’s next book took six months to complete, which is double her usual time. But she says the experience brought her “out of the silence and into the noise again” and gave her imagination the kick it needed.

Cindy Gerard, who writes for both Silhouette Desire and St. Martin’s Press, wrote, “Bottom line, working writers cannot afford writer’s block. It’s a luxury neither we nor the publishers have time for.” She then expounded to say that in her case, it usually wasn’t true writer’s block, but feeling lazy, uninspired or even overwhelmed. Sometimes writers must recognize that intimidation has rendered them unable to write. Maybe your last book was a smashing success. Perhaps your last manuscript placed first in a very prestigious contest. Now you feel the pressure to deliver another product as good as the last. That pressure continues to eat at you until you find yourself with your butt in your chair, hands poised over the keyboard and absolutely zip, zero, nada coming forth onto the page.

What can you do to battle writer’s block? Here are some “creative jump starts” gleaned from various sources as well as sage advice from writers in the trenches.

So how did I deal with my muse’s absence? When she took a hike, I took a hike too. I went down a different path and pursued non-fiction. In my early thirties, I’d begun to write and envisioned myself as the next Erma Bombeck. At that stage of my life, however, I had little life experience to draw on.

Now I’m a card-carrying member of AARP with scads of experiences under my belt. I’ve lived in Europe, raised two boys and a husband, gone through the ups and downs of business ownership, dealt with hubby’s mid-life crisis, survived menopause and just learned that I’m going to become a grandmother.

I also joined RWA and found myself surrounded by others who understood about the ups and downs of writing and didn’t think I was strange because I had voices in my head. While romance is my true love, the other paths allowed me to keep writing and feel a sense of accomplishment.

The last tip came from everyone: don’t quit. Relax and smile. Write something every day. Nora Roberts wrote, "The most important thing in writing is to have written. I can always fix a bad page. I can't fix a blank one." Plodding along, even at a slow pace, allows you to take baby steps toward your goals. Even a small effort can create words, which create pages, which create books. And that’s what it’s all about.

Marilyn Puett lives in Huntsville, Alabama and is a member of Heart of Dixie RWA and The Writing Playground (www.writingplayground.com). She has contributed articles to several online magazines and reviews books for Writers Unlimited. Her muse recently returned, overweight and tanned, from an extended world cruise.

Need a plot? Turn to Shakespeare. You might as well; half of Hollywood has already. Ten Things I Hate About You. My Own Private Idaho. O. West Side Story. Scotland, PA. A Thousand Acres. Ran. It’s okay; Shakespeare doesn’t mind. In fact, he took the plots for many of his plays from somewhere else. So, if you’re going to borrow, you may as well borrow from the Bard. After all, he’s been making audiences laugh, cry, and fall in love for four hundred years.

You, though, are more creative than that. You have your own non-Shakespearean plot to work with, but it’s still missing something. Our friend Shakespeare may be able to help you out there as well. He wrote at least a dozen plays focused on love—some tragic, some mature, and some simply funny as hell. His romantic comedies are a good place to look for ideas if your story just needs that something to make it work. Northrop Frye, the extraordinary scholar and critic, defined the major characteristics of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies. I present these characteristics (with my own modern ideas) here for you in the hope that they may point you in the direction of that something.

There’s an exotic setting. For Elizabethan Londoners, nothing was less romantic as day-to-day life in Elizabethan London. Shakespeare knew this, and he set his romances in far-flung places. (Italy seemed to be a particular favorite.) This exotic setting removes the audience from the everyday and commonplace and provides a sense of escapism. More importantly, it creates a sense of the exotic for the characters themselves. They may be people with the same basic hopes and dreams that we have, but they’re also foreign (i.e., not like us)—who knows what they’ll do next?

An exotic setting may be Paris (pretty exotic for those of us who live in Alabama), but you can also create this sense of the exotic by either giving one or both of your lovers unusual careers (CIA agent, corporate spy), or simply have one of them come from somewhere else (the Frenchman in Alabama).

There’s a temporary thwarting of lovers who are meant to be together. Well, duh. However, Shakespeare’s lovers are normally aristocratic, which adds a layer of responsibility to the characters’ actions. Power and fortunes are at risk—the lovers can’t just run off willy-nilly because more than just their lives and love are in the mix. In contemporary romance, you may not be able to put the kingdom in jeopardy, but the lovers’ responsibility to others (a business to run, family members to care for) can thwart our hero’s and heroine’s fledgling relationship.

Shakespeare’s lovers are also tethered to reality by more common types. Often functioning as the voice of reason in the lovers’ out-of-control world, these common folks are living in the much more mundane world of everyday life. Separated from the passion driving our hero and heroine, these secondary characters bring realism and sometimes rationality when necessary. They also pull us into the story—after all, the hero and heroine may be larger than life, but we’re not. Sometimes, they work against the hero and heroine. It may be that they know that the real world doesn’t always have happily-ever-after endings (and therefore want to spare the lovers disappointment), or maybe they have agendas of their own.

We know from the beginning, though, that this man and this woman are made for each other. Thwart away; we know that whatever is keeping them apart is temporary and able to be overcome.

There is opposition to the lovers that is outside of their control. For Shakespeare, this opposition was usually parental and, of course, this can still work very well. The opposition can also come from society or other external forces (think of the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the preacher’s daughter). The important thing is that we root for the lovers against this opposition, because we know it will work out for the best.

Think of Romeo and Juliet. (Okay, so it’s not a comedy, but you just can’t beat that balcony scene.) The time-honored way to end family feuds was to marry off the children of the warring clans; their marriage is the ideal solution to the Capulet-Montague feud. That hatred is external opposition to their love and we root for them against it—especially since we know that their relationship will also be for the greater good.

There is a temporary escape to the “Green World”—a kind of wilderness. The “Green World” is kind of like escaping to the woods—the hero and heroine are temporarily away from society and the pressures of that society and external conflict. It can be a place of healing and a restful reprieve, or it can be a slightly scary place where they confront the important aspects of life and love. Either way, they’re out of their element, and this makes them uncomfortable, vulnerable, and open to learning something important. We see them grow in their understanding of themselves and their love for each other, and this is a major milestone in their relationship.

This Green World doesn’t have to be an actual wilderness; it can be anywhere as long as the hero and heroine have the opportunity to focus on themselves and their relationship. So you can strand them in a remote cabin in the woods during a snowstorm—an actual, albeit white, “Green World”—or simply trap them in an elevator. Either way serves the purpose.

There are physical disguises or characters who disguise their true motives. Dress the heroine up in boys’ clothing—instant fun and a chance for the heroine to see things from the other side. (In Twelfth Night, Viola learns much about the man she loves simply because he thinks that she’s a boy named Cesario. Add that the secondary heroine, Olivia, falls in love with Cesario….) Have the villain pretend to be helping the lovers get together when he’s actually trying to drive them apart—instant conflict and intrigue. Send your characters to a costume party and have them interact without realizing it, or just let them pretend that they don’t know whom they are talking to—they’ll learn loads.

Of course, the unmasking (literal or figurative) is another important plot point.

One or more of the characters move towards self-discovery. As we all know, our characters have to grow over the course of the novel. Static characters are boring. The best couples are those that bring out the best in each other. No matter how difficult or painful the lesson was, the characters are better people in the end. And that makes us like them even more!

There is a marriage (or at least the promise of one) and the image of future generations. This is a romance; of course our lovers have been heading to this point of great commitment. This is the start of the happily-ever-after. It’s at this point that the characters (and the audience) move from focusing on the present and start looking towards the future. Shakespeare’s heroines are going to run off and have lots and lots of beautiful babies—and so may yours—but it’s the sense of continuity that we get from the idea of babies that’s really important. Our lovers now face the world together, and that affects everything the future may bring.

There is a return to order as everyone takes his or her proper place back in society. Mom and Dad accept the marriage. The villain is caught and will be punished. The rightful heir is restored to the throne. Everyone goes back to the careers they love. Most likely, our hero and heroine have caused at least a little bit of trouble in their everyday lives. All these loose ends must be tied up and life returned to some semblance of normalcy—otherwise, those loose ends could come back later and mess up the happily-ever-after.

Make sure all of those sub-plots get tied up as well. Shakespeare is still catching hell over unfinished business in Taming of the Shrew. No one likes to be left hanging.

Some characters are excluded from the happily-ever-after ending. Not everybody gets to ride off into the sunset, and that’s okay. Even some of the good guys get left out. Take the guy who’s been in love with the heroine since high school. He’s not the hero; he doesn’t get the girl. That’s just the way life goes. It’s bittersweet, but, in a way, it emphasizes how lucky the hero and heroine are to have found true love.

If your good-guy-who-didn’t-get-the-girl is a strong enough character, you can always spin him off into his own book and let him find true love there.

So there you have it. Shakespeare’s tried and true characteristics of romance. They’ve certainly stood the test of time. What’s so wonderful is that these ideas are just as fresh and ready to go as they were in 1610. Take them and make them your own—maybe it’s just the something that your manuscript needs.

(On the chance that you didn’t find anything helpful to your manuscript here, I offer you this instead: The next time some Great Literature snob informs you that she doesn’t read those kinds of books, toss out Northrop Frye’s name and the fact that the common characteristics of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies—including the “Green World”—form an excellent basis for the analysis of modern romances. That should confuse her.)

Kimberly Lang actually discusses this kind of stuff with her friends. That’s kind of sad.

This article first appeared in the February 2005 issue of The Heart Monitor, and may not be used or copied without permission of the author.

Holidays are renowned for being a stressful time for dieters. Opportunities to blow all your hard work and progress from the previous eleven months abound. The same sort of sabotage awaits writers, little and big chances to ruin your hard-won writing schedule.
Just as sticking to some basic rules can prevent dieters from gaining those five holiday pounds (or from slipping into a binge), those same words of wisdom can keep you writing during the busiest time of the year. Here are some healthy tips to keep your writing lean and mean this holiday season.

1. Eat smaller portions.
A.K.A. Plan smaller portions of time for your writing.
Instead of trying to block out a large session to write, try using up those smaller bits of time during the day. Convincing yourself to write will be much easier when you are facing 30 minutes instead of three hours. We all know that ‘writing begets writing.’ Even if it is only for a few minutes per day, those tiny bites will keep your juices flowing until you have more time to work.

2. Plan meals in advance.
A.K.A. Know your next writing step.
Just as dieters stay on track by planning their meals, writers can start filling that blank page much quicker if they know ahead of time what they will focus on each day. Now, before you pansters start yelling, let me explain. How can you take advantage of what little writing time you have if you don’t know which story, which scene, you will work on when you sit down in front of the computer? Keep your starting point in mind, then when you do get the chance to work, all those thoughts percolating in the back of your mind will literally jump on to the page.
And if you are a plotter, spend a few minutes the night before laying out your scene for the next day. Your brain will thank you when it faces that dreaded blank page and remembers exactly where to begin.

3. Keep healthy foods on hand.
A.K.A. Stock up on supplies.
How much easier is it to snack right if you have a fridge full of carrots and low-fat dip as opposed to chips and donuts? Healthy foods are the tool dieters use to encourage their desire to stick to the plan. The same is true for writers. Keep a file handy with notes on your current work in progress. Stash notebooks around your house to capture bits of dialogue or ideas that flit through your mind.
Place a notepad and extra pens in your bag to pass the time waiting in long lines. Or pack up your Alphasmart at the end of your writing session and have it waiting beside your purse the next time you leave the house. Working on notes, research, plotting, all of these small, seemingly insignificant details, are kindling to jump-start the creative fire during your next writing session.

4. Change your standard workout.
A.K.A. Shake things up a little.
Do you become frustrated working on your book in fits and starts? Maybe you could use this busy time to try your hand at a shorter piece, such as a novella or article. Not only will you feel a sense of accomplishment when it is quickly finished, but you’ll keep your instincts alive and craft sharp.

5. Wear a pedometer.
A.K.A. Keep track of your steps.
Create a special holiday writing log and challenge yourself to make an entry every day, even if it is a big fat zero. Then the days of not writing won’t slip by you unnoticed. And those zeros can spur you on to actual progress.

6. Frontload Your Calories.
A.K.A. Work early in the day.
Try to do as much work as you can first thing in the morning, when energy and fresh ideas are more forthcoming. If you put it off until nighttime, you may have a harder time talking yourself into starting. This wastes precious time or can cause you to forego writing altogether.
Also, most families are home at night, which means more interruptions. Not to mention how tired you will be after errands, cooking, cleaning, and the list goes on. Weariness challenges creativity and seems to turn up the volume of your internal editor. If you’ve written earlier in the day, then a sense of accomplishment fuels your desire to do more.

7. Set a Goal.
A.K.A. Create a deadline.
This may sound obvious, but just as you are more motivated to workout if you need to fit into that dress for your high school reunion in two months, so you will write more if you need to have a chapter finished by a certain day. Choose something to work towards, like a contest entry, and mark it in BIG RED LETTERS on your calendar. Then reward yourself when you achieve your goal.
If you already have a deadline, then picture your editor’s face when you find you need an extension. Or imagine the stress you’ll experience if you end up rushing at the last minute to finish your project. Having a deadline and keeping the consequences of not meeting that deadline firmly in the front of your mind can spur you on to write when you don’t “feel” like it.

9. Practice the Buddy System.
A.K.A. Enlist partners to hold you accountable.
If ever being a member of a critique group or having a reliable critique partner were important, this would be the time. If you know you have to have something written by the time you face them, you’ll be more likely to get your butt in the chair and work.
Don’t have time to critique? That’s understandable, considering the endless rounds of baking, shopping, wrapping, and dinners that come up during the holidays. Ask a friend or fellow chapter member to help. Blowing off your lack of writing may be easy, but facing a real person is much more intimidating.

9. Reward Yourself with a non-food item.
A.K.A. Fuel Your Creativity With Rewards
This basic principle applies to dieters and writers alike. Hard work becomes easier to accomplish when a tangible reward awaits on the other side of the finish line. Tell yourself that you’ll only go shopping after you’ve written five pages today. Or schedule a manicure or pedicure for the day after your deadline to finish X number of chapters. Smaller, daily rewards could include a long uninterrupted bubble bath, watching an anticipated holiday movie, or snuggling with your significant other in front of a fire.

10. Treat yourself right and your body will respond.
A.K.A. Be kind to yourself.
Are emergencies going to come up? Yes. Will you meet your goals every day? Of course not. But don’t see that as a reason to tell yourself how weak you are, how lazy you are, because you aren’t superwoman. Just as a bruised body will refuse to even walk around the block, beating yourself up will slow your creativity.
Give yourself a gift this holiday season. Remember that it’s all right if you fell short today. Then get up the next morning, at the start of a new day, with your writing goal uppermost in your mind. Sit down in the chair and write. Your imagination will thank you for your sensitivity.

Stick to these tips and you’ll come through the holiday season proud of your writing and yourself. Greet the New Year with confidence in your ability to write and the pages to prove it. Happy Writing.

This article first appeared in the November 2003 issue of the Heart Monitor, newsletter for Heart of Dixie RWA. No part of it may be reprinted without permission of the author.

I’ve had some relative successes on the RWA contest circuit recently. Not as many wins as some, but enough. And while I’d like to think my stellar storytelling abilities have garnered this success, I know that isn’t the truth. Or rather, it isn’t the whole truth. Certainly, I couldn’t have gotten as far as I have without some natural ability, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

So what tiny tidbits of knowledge can I share that might help you succeed as well?

Know Why You’re Entering
If feedback is what you hope to gain from plunking down your pesos then that’s what you should focus your attention on. Ask around to find out which contests provide the best feedback, the most detailed score sheets, the ones that encourage judges to write detailed remarks. Or even, the ones that guarantee published authors for every entrant in the first round. And then don’t be disappointed if you don’t place. Keep your eye on the prize and what’s most important to you and your career at this moment.
If finaling and recognition are number one on your hit list, then enter the more prestigious contests, the ones editors, agents and other unpublished writers immediately recognize. Ask for recommendations at your local chapter meetings and/or on message boards. Ask published authors which contests they participated in before they published and which helped them the most or garnered them the most recognition. In short, do your homework.

If you’re looking for perks along with your win then concentrate on those contests that provide more than your name on the winners list. I’ve seen several ultimate prizes offered: cold hard cash, a golden heart necklace, a rose pin, or even an alpha smart. One contest provides the entry fee for the national convention to the overall winner. Pick which ones offer something you’re interested in and spend your money wisely.

If getting your baby in front of a prize editor is your end goal, then you need to concentrate on contests in which that editor is a final round judge. And possibly on the lesser known contests. The smaller contests tend to have less competition – you’ll still get that editor’s attention if you final but that final might not carry as much weight/recognition as some larger contests. You also need to make sure your work will stand out amongst the twenty to fifty or even several hundred other entrants who are targeting that editor with the same type of manuscript you just sent off in a pristine priority mail envelope.

Know What You’re Entering
Entering an inspirational manuscript into the long contemporary category the senior editor at Harlequin Blaze is set to judge might not be the best move. Or it might be depending on what you want to accomplish. Just be aware that most of the competition will probably be manuscripts targeted to Blaze. That might help or hurt you depending on your first round judges.

If the guidelines ask for a specific amount of pages, don’t feel you must stretch to fill the requirement. Stop your entry at an intriguing and high-tension moment. You want the judges to flip that last page and groan because they want the next page/chapter/scene to read.

And always assume anything you send in will be judged – even if the guidelines say it won’t be. Some contests require you to submit a synopsis to be judged. Some ask you to send it for clarification purposes only. Know that there’s a high probability anything you send will be read. And that if you dash off a one or two page synopsis at the last minute in order to beat the deadline you’re liable to have hurried yourself into a non-finaling place. It’s human nature to judge – we do it anytime we meet someone new. Anything the judge reads will influence their opinion on your entire entry.

Dos and Don’ts
Here are some simple things you can keep in mind while preparing your entry and blazing your way through the contest circuit.

Cold Hard Truth
There’s one piece of cold, hard truth that is irrefutable when it comes to contests. Placing well does not mean you’ll sell the manuscript – or any manuscript for that matter. I remember listening to one Golden Heart winner this past year talk about winning for the third year in a row. She obviously has talent. But that doesn’t always mean success.

One of my manuscripts that’s done well this year - one 1st, two 2nd and one 3rd place finishes – will not be published. At least not without major revisions. I might not have gained a contract from these contest entries but what I did gain was knowledge. I received feedback from three different editors on the problems and strengths of the story (and I’m waiting for one more from my 1st place win). I know what’s wrong with the story now. I’ve just chosen not to invest any more time in it for right now.

Using some good old-fashioned common sense will go a long way in setting you up for success when it comes to entering contests. It’ll also allow your natural talent to shine through and wow those first round and final judges. Follow the guidelines, don’t get caught up in the hype, and use your common sense. If you do these things you too can be a contest diva.

So you want to write erotic romance. All those sexy encounters and gyrations, not to mention sensual lighting and silk sheets. It can't be too hard, right? Speaking of hard, think you know everything about a man's penis? Take the quiz below and find out!

1. What is the number one item you must have (besides his penis) for the best sex ever?
2. What rule of Condom Etiquette should you never break?
3.What is the difference between oral sex and fellatio?
4.Where is his perineum located?
5.What is the most sensitive area of his penis?
6.What cool thing can you do before oral sex to make it hotter?
7.What are the "bucking bronco" rules you must know for a safe ride?
8 When is a silicone penis right for you?
9.What is the average size of his penis?
10.What is "blue tongue"?

ANSWERS:
1.            Lubricant. Use only water-based lotions for vaginal moisture. Water-based lubricants are
tasteless and odorless, wash out of your body easily, and you are less likely to develop an infection or have an allergic reaction.
2.         Always put the condom on his penis yourself. You can trust yourself. You know you will put it on right. According to a recent survey, sixty percent of men said they do not talk about condom use with their partner before sex and forty-seven percent never use protection for vaginal sex.
3.            Enjoying his penis alone is called fellatio. “Oral sex” partakes of his penis, scrotum, and/or perineum.
4.         His perineum is the patch of skin between his anus and testicles and is packed with sensitive nerve endings.
5.         The frenulum is an inverted V-shaped spot located where the head and shaft of his penis meet; it faces away from his body.
6.         An ice cube or a mint in your mouth will give him extra stimulation before oral sex.
7.         Don’t bend his erect penis. If you put him in you when he is not fully stiff and you move too quickly, it's possible to fracture one of the two hydraulics contained in his shaft.
8.         If you’re in the mood for sex and he’s not. Never place your sexual satisfaction completely in someone else’s hands. You are in control of your sex life. Your man can’t vibrate his tongue, penis, or fingers at a constant high speed, so he’s grateful for the help.
9.         The average length of his unaroused penis is under four inches. His erect penis is usually a little over six inches (most are 5 3/8 inches and about 3 1/2 inches round).
10.        He's popping Viagra. You're in for a long night.

How many times have you changed your mind, about a hairstyle, your makeup, wardrobe, or a hobby? We do these things because we change. There’s always a good reason for changing, but it’s so easy to overlook the important things, such as what’s in this for us? Are we doing what we want to do?

What we write and what we read reflect who we are, where we are, at any moment in time. Women reinvent themselves all the time, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes simply because they can. That’s how writing has been for me.

When I began writing for publication, a friend was in charge of programs for a large conference, and she passed on to me the fact that one of her speakers needed material for an upcoming issue. I’d never written a confession and wasn’t even sure I could do so, but that’s how I began my first writing career. One of my first mentors was June Park, author of The Bingo Queens of Paradise. June had won the O. Henry award for short fiction; she’d won the Writers’ Digest short fiction contest; and she’d won or placed in many other contests. She’d preached to me for years that mastering short fiction would take me places I couldn’t imagine. All I was interested in writing at the time were romances and mainstream, but I was a convert after that first sale to True Confessions. (And the month I made nearly a thousand dollars from sales to just one issue? Da bomb!)

I became an inveterate eavesdropper, then an embellisher of tales. I became so involved that friends would chide me for grabbing napkins and penning notes in restaurants, taking a small notebook in my purse and pausing whatever I was doing, even while out in public, to scribble a phrase or a word that would later trigger a story. If your husband’s niece’s ex-boyfriend’s mother had a coworker who cheated on his spouse? One who had a sex change operation? Anything at all that was weird or awful to ‘the masses’? I wrote about ‘em. If you pissed ME off? Ditto. You’d find yourself with some disgusting habit or disease or at the end of the Ugly Stick. Fifty-or-so confessions later, I turned to erotic romances.

Let me backtrack a bit. Now my goal before even the confessions had been to write mainstream fiction and romances, remember? One of my first critique partners thought something I did penning a romance was kinky…and this was a very open-minded woman. My ego wasn’t such at the time that I felt comfortable saying ‘So?’, and I didn’t have the writers’ tools to really write erotic fiction at the time, so I turned back to mainstream, my first love. Another dear friend, Mary Ellen Cooper, suggested gently that the story I was currently working on was a tad ambitious for my grasp at the time. Mary Ellen is the type of woman who can say these things without ticking you off. There isn’t a dog mean enough to bite her. Of course, at the time, I thought she was full of crap, until I was a third way through the story and realized I had a plot larger than anything Robert Jordan could conceive. (For you Jordan fans, he’s been pretty sick—here’s his update on his blog.)

So, moving right along, one of my critique partners (after I’d grown up a bit and helped start The Belfry Collective) asked me to crit her erotic romance. Jaci Burton had turned her on (no pun intended—really) to writing erotic romance, but Burton wasn’t in our critique group. I said sure. Once I’d returned the manuscript to her, Ann said “Why aren’t you writing something like this? If you can read it without flinching, critique it as well as you do other things, why not try your hand at it?” I did. Finaled in a JERR-sponsored contest, and that’s how I sold Just Desserts to Ellora’s Cave.

Whether I began acting like the family Black Sheep or simply gave in to a reawakening of sexual energies is anybody’s guess, but that’s how I started my career as a smut writer. After a few months of publication, I finally told my mother what I did, and she asked whose name I wrote under. She’s a tad snobbish, so I couldn’t resist messing with her just a bit—I said, “Yours.” After she caught her breath I told her the truth, that I’d made up a name. Good thing I confessed, because Colleen Kane, senior editor for Playgirl, is writing an article on erotic romances featuring ole Lyn Cash—the January issue, I believe. Not that my mother reads Playgirl, but ya never know who’ll pick up a copy and tell her that her daughter has an excerpt in the sucker.

Writing erotica isn’t like getting a new haircut and asking yourself later, “What the hell was I thinking?”—it’s more convoluted. You know going in what you’re getting into…you may not know the degree, but you have a ballpark generality. My biggest drawback was that I wrote hot but not scorching—I had to learn scorching. I’m still learning it. The one thing I had going for me was that for some unexplained reason I got humor down well, and most erotic romance being written at the time was serious contemporary or science-fiction/fantasy. I stink at sci-fi and fantasy, so I’d better stick with what I know.

Somewhere along the way, I sold mainstream as well as erotica. Leaving Mama and La Bella Luna sold to Samhain (have my first book signing in early November with Borders Books). Unlike Bret Easton Ellis or Jay McInerney, I didn’t have the skills to write mainstream while in my twenties or thirties. I’m lucky I can write it now, but fortunately someone else thinks I can, too, so…that dream is unfolding.

I encourage all writers (and readers): Don’t be afraid of change, of expressing yourself, of switching from one genre to another. I really get pissed off when someone says “I just can’t wear (insert NAME BRAND) clothes—I’m not the right shape—I don’t have the right figure.” Writing is like shopping for clothes—it’s not what the clothes can bring to you…it’s not even what they do for you necessarily. It’s what you bring to the clothes. You are the owner, not the clothes. Your niche, your genre, your book spine is out there waiting on you to find IT. Sure, you have to be a perfect size whatever to wear designer labels, and you have to follow guidelines to sell to certain publishers, but…you’ll notice when someone picks up a book (ask them if you don’t believe me) that rather than going for the label hawking some publisher’s symbol, what they’re usually going for is story…content…blurb… something that reveals who YOU are, not who the publisher is.

Who will I be—where will I be tomorrow? Who knows? But I bring to the table all that I am, what I’ve learned, and who I’ve become. So can you.

So this is my question to you for today: Have you the courage to be yourself? (You don’t have to answer publicly – lol.) If not, what is keeping you from expressing who you are? Once you get THAT out to dissect, the rest becomes easy. *wink* Promise!

We’ve all given our characters an occupation we’ve never held. Or set our book somewhere we’ve never been. These days, the internet can provide not just a wealth of information, but connection to the people and places we want to access. Need to know what it’s like to be a nurse working the night shift? Just log on, do a search, and find a group of nurses that can provide you intimate details that even the best article or web page couldn’t provide.

But what happens when you’re researching something like S&M or Ménage a trois? Something you’ve never done, never have the inclination to attempt, and something you’re not sure you want to ask intimate details about online?

The first thing you’re going to need to do is step outside your comfort zone, realize that while this isn’t something you’re willing to try, there are plenty of people in the world who have, do, and tremendously enjoy the experience. They get something from the experience – usually extreme pleasure but possibly an emotional pay-off as well. You must go into any research with an open mind, although I’m guessing that if you’re considering a ménage scene you’re already pretty open.

Read stories with that type of slant. If you’re researching bondage, then buy and read books with bondage scenes in them. Compare and contrast those specific scenes. There’s a broad range of what counts as bondage. Perhaps the idea of lightly tying your hero’s hands behind his back and limiting his sense of touch intrigues you. Maybe the thought of forcing your heroine’s legs apart with a metal bar tied to her feet makes your blood run cold. Figure out what your comfort level is by doing your research. Internalize the differences simply by reading. Do this and when it comes time for you to write that scene you’ll have a natural comfort with the subject matter which will show in your writing. You can gain a familiarity with a subject without ever having first hand experience with the situation.

Do your research. There are a ton of sources out there with information on just about any subject. But you need to remember several things when filtering this information through your brain. Not every website is reliable. Not every book will be either. You need to check your sources, research their backgrounds, biases, and determine whether you can trust their information.

The subject matter alone can lead you into dangerous territory. Use common sense and educated judgment. Don’t give your personal information out over the web. And just because a website looks professional does not mean that it is. Homemade websites can have all the flash of a legitimate one. There are plenty of people in the world who consider themselves experts on a subject without any background, education, or experience to back up the claim.

As a writer, your story will provide information to readers whether you intend it to or not. People who are interested in a subject but not confident enough to gain more specific information themselves might use your book as a how-to guide. Your research sources must be reliable so that the information in your books is also a reliable source for your readers.

Also, you need to remember that all the research in the world can’t give you the feel of an actual experience. No, I’m not telling you to call up your neighbor for a spanking session. What I’m saying is that you’re going to need to filter all the knowledge you’ve gained through your character’s senses, reactions and emotions. When you’re writing about something with no first-hand experience, work extra hard to gain a believable feel for the situation. Characterization is key. You must have an excellent grasp on their responses because you’ve already got one hole in your knowledge base. It’s almost impossible to write an excellent scene with two.

Remember, in the end, you’re the person who is closest to your characters. You get to decide how they might react to having their hands tied behind their back and their nipples clamped. There is no right or wrong; there is only what works for them and the story.

Don’t push yourself or your story. Just because erotic romance is hot right now, don’t push yourself, your story, or your characters in that direction simply because you want to ride the trend. If you do, the end result will come out feeling forced, unbelievable, and false. While you might not ever try a ménage, there has to be some part of you that is intrigued by the idea in order to feel comfortable with writing that type of scene. If you aren’t, then don’t write it.

Writing is all about emotional response. As a writer, I only know a scene is working when it calls up an emotional reaction inside me. That reaction should bleed over onto the page and hopefully, prompt the same things in your readers. If your response to a situation is fear and loathing, that will come out in the scene.

Erotic romance, and all it entails, isn’t for everyone. That’s okay. The writing world is constantly going through changes. If this trend isn’t for you, the next one will be.

But if the idea of writing multiple partners, pushing yourself and your characters to try new things, or even torturing them with pleasure intrigues you - then don’t be afraid to take a few steps forward out of your comfort zone. Writing offers us all the chance to try something new, to step safely into a world we normally wouldn’t think of entering. The experience we find behind that door might just shock, intrigue and pleasure – both you and your readers.

Taboo. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of the world of sadism and masochism (S&M). Misunderstood. That’s the second word I think of.

To a person whose own experience is the sexual equivalent of white bread (vanilla in S&M terms), the world of S&M can be unfamiliar, confusing and downright scary. As the world of erotic romances grows in popularity, readers may be exposed to things they’ve never heard of or remotely considered doing. You mean you like to be tied up? And spanked? What is WRONG with you?

Well, that is a good question. Let’s address this up front. What is wrong with the person who enjoys that sort of thing? Maybe they were spanked by their buxom, blonde, Swedish nanny as a child and liked it. (Did anyone actually have one of those?) Maybe they spend all day in charge and like to turn over the control of their nights to someone else. Maybe nothing is wrong with them. The thrill of something taboo can be enough of an allure to someone. In a past life, I did home romance parties that sold lotions, lingerie and battery operated appliances. Included in our list of items were blindfolds, handcuffs, body swings, nipple clamps, and a variety of whips. You’d be surprised how many sweet grandmother-types went home with a full arsenal of goodies that put ME to shame.

So, don’t worry that having a sexual interest in this area will label you or your character as some sort of deviant. The average “do-it-yourselfer” just enjoys the occasional night of playing it rough to spice things up. No harm there.

If it is so popular, why does it have such a stigma? I'm not an expert but I think this is because, as with most things, there is a full spectrum of activities that fall under the umbrella of S&M. On one side is the lighter stuff, so to speak. A little bondage, maybe a whip, a blindfold…even some liquid latex. You might get a little bruised up or rope burned, but no one goes home seriously injured. The darker side of S&M is probably the side that gets the exposure and earns S&M the bad reputation it has. Activities that appear to border on torture or rape can often be included in the S&M category. Some people enjoy inflicting pain or having pain inflicted upon them. We won’t elaborate on why here, just know that delving into this world you might run into it. Be prepared – know the language and the person you’re involved with. As they say, “keep it safe, sane and consensual.”

In this article, we’re going to stick with the lighter side of S&M – the stuff that causes you to arch an eyebrow and go “Hmm…wonder what that’s like?” when you run across it in a book. At first, the terms might be a little confusing. The world of S&M has its own vocabulary. Unless you or your character is about to hit an S&M club, you probably don’t need to commit them to memory, but it can help you in the local adult store when you’re trying to find that “do-hickey.”

I’ve put together a basic introduction, followed by some definitions I found in the book “Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns - The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism” by Philip Miller and Molly Devon.

First, some of the basics. There are many different genres under the umbrella of S&M. The term BDSM incorporates Bondage and Discipline (BD), Dominance and Submission (DS) and Sadomasochism (SM). A BDSM relationship is a consensual exchange of power. An individual agrees to submit to the power and control of another for the purpose of mutual pleasure that does not necessarily include sex. Before that can happen, there must be agreement as to what each side expects out of the relationship or encounter. To have that consent and understanding, the person surrendering power must be able to give consent and come to an understanding.

The intensity of play in these relationships can range from the sensual - where the biggest threat is denial of orgasm - to the infliction of agonizing pain. Other facets might include assigned roles and aspects of humiliation or worship. It all depends on what has been decided between the participants.

While BDSM relationships can serve as a place for sexual exploration, participants should already have some knowledge of who they are and what they like sexually. They should be able to speak openly and honestly about their needs and desires. When these simple guidelines are followed, the door is open for the participants to explore and find sexual gratification together.

Lingo to Know:
I recommend you know a couple of these terms (and any terms mentioned to you!) before you agree to any S&M scene. I have excluded some of the more extreme in favor of, as I said, more novice-friendly items, but do your research. The last thing you want is to sign up for scat or golden showers without knowing what it is! (And if you want to know what it is, look it up. I’m not including it here.)

Tools of the Trade:
Toys and tools are important with any hobby. Tools can vary from clothespins to wall mounted units you can strap your partner to while you whip them. For those of you that don’t have a basement torture chamber, lets just focus on the goodies you can hide in your bedside drawer…

Safety First:
Safety is always important, especially if you are a novice. Responsible S&M practitioners will always make sure the following are always a part of their scenes or play.

So, if you or your characters are thinking of dabbling in a little S&M fun, I think I’ve covered most of the bases. This is enough to get you started and keep you out of some sticky situations you’d rather avoid. There’s a plethora of information available online – if you dare to Google it – but be prepared to dig and run across some rather weird stuff in the process. Personally, I’d just buy a few items that intrigue you and your partner and go from there.

BIO: USA Today Bestselling author Robin Schone lives in a Chicago suburb with her music aficionado husband, and is a staunch defender of human rights and women’s sexuality. She has written five novels and two novellas. Her work has been translated into seven languages.

Playground Monitor: Robin, can you tell our readers a little about your road to publication? Did you set out to write erotic romance? Or was that something that evolved?

PM: Did you find it hard to break into this genre? And what about marketing? Is it more difficult to market erotica than mainstream romance?

PM: When I first looked into reading erotica, the name Robin Schone kept appearing as the one writer who was able to make it hot but keep it sensual. It’s very easy to write a love scene and fall into the trap of merely describing the physical action and body parts. How do you make each love scene you write interesting and unique and also maintain a high level of sensuality?

PM: Everyone jokes about doing research for love scenes. But historical writers such as yourself have to be factual in your writing. Has there ever been any really unusual research that you’ve done? Has research ever led you somewhere you never expected? Any good research tips to share with fellow writers?

RS: Probably the most unusual "sex" research - certainly from the viewpoint of my local library! - occurred when writing The Lady's Tutor. We all hear that Spanish Fly is an aphrodisiac. It's easy to find out what it's made of (powdered blister beetle), but what would be the dosage required to cause sexual stimulation? How quickly, upon ingestion, would the affects be felt? My library couldn't find the answers. I called a university, and was fortunate enough to get the name of an internationally famed poison expert who lived in Chicago. He got a bit of a kick out of my questions, and gave me tons of information: namely, the dosage that excites also kills. The effects are felt only minutes after ingestion. This knowledge totally changed the scene I was writing; I think, grounded in reality, it became much stronger.

The best research tip is to research. I hate it when people write historicals without doing the most elementary research. For example: in the Regency and Victorian era, men's shirts DID NOT button all the way down. Not even here in America. What really riles me now is that book covers are perpetrating this ignorance. I don't care how sexy 6-pack abs are, I would not pick up a historical novel if the man on the cover is wearing a shirt that is opened all the way down the front. If I were so unlucky as to get such a cover, I don't think I could bring myself to post it on my website.

PM: Erotica seems to be one of the fastest growing genres in writing today. Do you have any opinions about why this is happening? And in what ways, if any, do you see the erotica industry changing?

As to how I see the erotica industry changing . . . it is no longer simply a man’s market. That alone will continue growing the business.

PM: Variety is the spice of life as the old saying goes. So how do you come up with new sexual experiences for your characters, especially if it’s not something you’ve ever done before or particularly care to do?

RS: My characters determine the variety and frequency of sex. For example, in The Lover, Michael has an aversion to chocolate. When Anne is subjected to the same kind of torture that he had endured as a child, he determines to eradicate both his and her fear, and replace it with the pleasure they derive through intimacy. The sex, in that instance, is healing. That scene - where he rubs chocolate all over her body and licks it off - would never work in another book, because it was based upon Michael and Anne. Their needs, not mine. It doesn’t matter if I like it - or if I’ve tried it - it’s what they do and like that counts. I see my job as a writer as putting myself in the shoes of my characters, not forcing them into mine.

PM: What question about writing erotica do you wish people would stop asking?

RS: I am going to assume by “people,” you mean interviewers. It is strange, to be approached solely because I “write” erotica, because I don’t consider myself an erotica author. I suppose, due to the graphic sex in my books, that I have to be labeled as such. But I don’t catagorize my work; nor do I write to fit a genre. I tried that once, to write a book to fit the Blaze line. Couldn’t do it. I mean, I wrote it, but I fought myself every step of the way. My hero was very dark and complex, but that’s not what the line called for. In the end, I wrote a book that neither the editor nor I liked. Which is a roundabout way to say, I think my books are about more than “sex.” I have been told that some of my scenes make good masturbatory material, but I’ve also received so many letters thanking me for my honest portrayal of sexuality, and for the hope that I’ve given, that they, too, might some day experience love and intimacy.

PM: What question about writing erotica do you wish people would ask and don’t?

RS: Do you know, I think it might be nice to be asked: what does it feel like - after working your buns off trying to accurately portray the times and lives of your hero/heroines - to be summed up, simply, as a sex writer?

Romance and erotica share so many things: it’s unfortunate that stereotyping is one of them. All erotica authors do not write the same, just as all romance authors do not write the same. Yet at the base core of both erotica and romance is the simple need for contact, whether the duration of that relationship is an hour, or fifty years long. I wish, in an interview, I could give more helpful tips on how to write “erotica,” but there really aren’t any. It doesn’t matter what genre you write, the same rules apply: editors - and readers - want a good, well-researched story, strong characterization, and solid writing. The best source of information on how to write erotica is the publisher itself, because each one prints their own particular brand.

Eden Bradley writes erotica and sensual romance in between her duties as book review editor and member liaison at RomanceDivas.com, an award-winning romance writers’ resource website and discussion forum, where she has published several articles on writing love scenes under the name Lisa Bradley.

Her first erotic story, HEAT WAVE, is available now at www.Phaze.com as part of their Heat Sheet Sparkler series. She has two erotic novels due to be released from Bantam Dell, and more projects in the works. Please check her website for release dates coming soon!

Eden lives in sunny Southern California with the love of her life and a small menagerie. When not busy writing, she enjoys a sybaritic life of cooking, eating, gardening, shopping (especially for shoes!), traveling, lounging and reading everything she can get her hands on. She particularly adores sultry, sensual stories of love.

Q: How do you go about creating FRESH love scenes? How do you make each one interesting and unique and also maintain a level of sensuality? It’s easy to fall into the “Tab A goes into Slot B” trap, so how do you avoid that?

Each person is a unique individual, and so should our characters be. If you have deep, well developed characters, then their sex scenes will be unique. A sex scene is about so much more than what goes where; it’s about what your characters are thinking, feeling, sensing. The way to bring sensuality into a sex scene, or into any scene for that matter, is by paying attention to all five senses. What does a lover’s skin feel like, taste like, smell like? Are there scents and sounds in the background? Describing a fire crackling in the hearth, a cool ocean breeze coming through an open window, can add wonderful sensual detail. It’s also about response. Don’t say just that he touched her somewhere, describe how she responds, both physically and emotionally. This puts your reader into your character’s head, drawing them into the scene.
Vocabulary is also important. It’s easy to rely on words we’re already familiar with. Learn to love your thesaurus!

Q: Research: Everyone jokes about it, but obviously you have to be factual in your writing. Would you mind telling us about any interesting research you’ve done. Any good research tips?

Number one is to DO your research! Don’t get lazy, and don’t make assumptions about material you’ve had no actual real life experience with. Talk to people, other writers, cruise the Internet, but try to make sure you’re getting accurate information. Check and double check. If you’re researching a subject for a sex scene, you can’t be shy. And you’d be surprised at what people are willing to talk about!
Much of my erotica work is bondage and BDSM themed. One of the most important aspects of this kind of experience is psychological, which is why it fascinates me-I was a psychology major in college. This is not material that can be approached lightly, or without being informed. I’ve had some very interesting discussions with people in the course of my research! Sometimes they tell you a bit more than you really want to hear, but I’m not someone who is at all uncomfortable discussing sex, so for me it’s not a problem. I think it’s good to push your own boundaries a bit, but there’s no use in trying to write material you’re really uncomfortable with.

Q: Did you find it hard to break into this genre? And what about marketing? Is it more difficult to market erotica than mainstream romance?

Right now the erotica market is hot! This is the perfect time to break into it, with so many of the big New York publishers opening erotica lines. I’ve been writing erotica for 20 years, so I was more than ready!
Marketing is a bit different with erotica because you have to be careful not to expose your explicit material to minors. I have a warning on the front page of my website, and you have to be careful when doing promotional chats about posting excerpts and keeping your language PG.
There are review sites and Yahoo! groups that cater exclusively to erotic material, and they’re a wonderful way to get in touch with readers.

I think women’s attitudes about their own sexuality are changing; women are recognizing themselves as sexual, sensual beings, which I think is wonderful! And the publishers have to recognize this evolution in attitude because they can’t argue with the sales figures. Hence the big publishing houses jumping on the erotica bandwagon. This will make quality erotic material more available to readers. I think we may start to see erotic literature marketed in a more mainstream fashion.

Q: How do you come up with new things for your characters to do, especially if it’s not something you’ve ever done before?

Let’s just say I’m a very liberal, open-minded person with a vivid imagination. I’ve never been shy about sex, so even if there are things I haven’t actually experienced before, I’ve probably thought about it or had a discussion with someone else about it.

Q: What question about writing erotica do you wish people would stop asking?

Q: What question about writing erotica do you wish people would ask and don’t?

I’d like for people to ask why it’s different from porn with an open mind about the answer. There is a huge difference. Porn is just sex. Erotica is sex, but it’s also sensuality, emotion, personal journey, and often about love.

As the reigning Queen of Steam on the playground I’ve been given a crown and scepter – well, okay, it’s more like I snagged them while the others weren’t looking. But possession is nine-tenths of the law around here so I’m gonna use them.
And my first order of business is passing along some hard-earned wisdom. As much as it pains me to admit, my steamy hot scenes don’t pop up onto the page that way. But as I’ve grown as a writer I’ve discovered ten sure fire steps to heat up any tepid scene – especially the fun ones.

Know your limits – and work inside them. On the steamy scale I’m an 00000.0000hhhhh. The hotter they are the better I like them. But not everyone is comfortable with things like S&M, domination, and ménage a trois. (And by comfortable I don’t necessarily mean open to trying it yourself. Just open to your characters trying it.) If you aren’t, then don’t try writing it. Your comfort level – or lack thereof - will come through in the writing. Sex might sell but if you’re not comfortable writing it – you won’t! That’s okay. Any scene can be made to steam; sex not absolutely required.
Love & Sex are two different things. There is absolutely a difference between a love scene and a sex scene. Know which one you’re writing. It’ll make a major difference in your characters’ wants, needs, and reactions. Their emotional responses will be different. A sex scene will affect the conflict of your story in a completely different manner than a love scene. ESPECIALLY if you’re writing for one of the hotter lines or erotic romance. Sex for sex’s sake happens in real life, and it happens in fiction. But when your characters turn the corner from sex to love their dynamic within the story will change. You need to be able to identify when this happens for each of your characters.
Set the scene. Try a new location. The bedroom’s been done. Same thing for outside. The kitchen. Even the bathtub. Find something new and unique and set a love scene there. I’ve seen one on the back of a motorcycle (yummy! Nothing like taking a bad boy on the back of his prized possession to blow his mind). On an airplane (it was a private jet not elbows and knees knocking on the tiny stall of a commercial airliner). Even underwater. Anything that’s new and exciting to your characters will be new and exciting for your readers too. Use your imagination!
Set the mood. Just like in real life, ambiance is everything. If you’re setting your scene outside, cool moonless nights are better than an oppressive summer day. Hot, sticky and sweaty are good but only if the friction between your characters is responsible for the heat. But then again, mood isn’t always candlelight and long stemmed roses. It can be transplanting your workaholic heroine who’s used to ringing phones, pestering assistants, and a mile long to-do list into a quiet, relaxing massage therapist’s office. Then give your therapist magical hands and a body to die for.
At the same time, don’t forget to set the mood in your writing environment as well. Lighting candles, writing at night in a dark, quiet house, playing sexy music with a thrumming beat - all these things can help put you - and therefore your characters - in the mood.
Use the senses. Not just yours but your characters’. Touch is easy. Smell. Taste. Hearing. Sight. Use them all. And then try taking one away. Blindfold your heroine. Tie down your hero’s hands so he can’t touch. Deprive your characters of the use of a sense and see how much fun you and they can have.
Give your hero and/or heroine a fantasy. And then let their partner fulfill it. This moment of discovery and trust can be used strategically in your book – at the beginning, at the end, or at the moment one character realizes they love the other are just a few options. At each point in your story this moment will have different meaning and impact – both emotionally and physically. Used correctly, this can also be a silent signal to your readers of the growing relationship in the book, a moment of honesty, trust and acceptance.
Use your imagination. Whatever you can imagine you can do. Invent a new gadget - something that blows your heroine’s mind during sex. Invent a new position. Let your characters experiment with something you’d never have the courage to do in real life.
Try something new. Research the Kama Sutra. Read erotic romance for ideas and suggestions. Never tried domination? You don’t have to. Imagine what it would be like. How would your hero/heroine respond to the loss of control, decision, movement?
There’s more to sex than the ‘pow’. Heightening the moment will go a long way to strengthening the sexual tension between your characters and provide them with an amazing finish. But remember, sex doesn’t always alleviate the tension that brought your characters together in the first place. In fact, it should increase it.
Be responsible. And no, I’m not just talking about having your characters use condoms (although I think it’s a good idea J). I mean research whatever elements you chose to put into your story. Like any other aspect, your readers won’t appreciate you getting a detail wrong. In fact, your responsibility as a writer goes a bit deeper than that. You’re introducing topics that a lot of society doesn’t feel comfortable discussing (not me obviously, but there are people out there). These same people could potentially pick up your book, and use it as their very own S&M bible. Be responsible. People might very well try something you’ve written and you do not want to be responsible for injuring someone! Not a good way to gain loyal readers.

While following these ten steps isn’t a guarantee to great sex for your characters – hey, your hero and heroine have to take some of the responsibility – it’s a sure-fire way to turn up the heat.
And if you’re looking for a dash of something extra special, I’ll give you a homework lesson: Research figging.

In Close Enough to Kill, Beverly Barton brings us a romance sure to touch the hearts of women everywhere who weren't pretty enough to be high school cheerleader material. I know it did mine!

Not dowdy enough to be ignored, not blond and perky enough to be a hottie, Sheriff Bernie Granger has always fallen into the dreaded category of "friend" in her relationships with the opposite sex. Despite her instant attraction to her new detective, Jim Norton, she once again falls into this role when he most needs someone to lean on.

Together they battle the deadline of a killer while juggling Jim's son, a dramatic ex with breast cancer, a father who knows no boundaries, and various single men complicating their investigation.

Then Bernie's own sister-the killer's favorite type: blond, hot, and popular-becomes a target. Will time run out before they find the killer? The wonderful thing about Maven Beverly's books is that the killer is never who you think!

The Specialist and The Maverick by Rhonda Nelson
Recommended by Kira Sinclair

The covers of The Specialist and The Maverick – the last two books in Rhonda Nelson’s Men Out of Uniform series – make a promise she more than delivers on. The stories inside are just as hot and steamy as the men outside. And as always, Rhonda infuses the tension, sensuality and sizzling sex with her own entertaining brand of humor.

In The Specialist, a September 06 Blaze release, Major Brian Payne’s favor is called due in the form of a treasure hunt for a priceless – and somewhat questionable – military antique. But the fact that he could be on a wild goose chase isn’t what concerns him most. It’s the competition – Emma Langsford. Or more importantly the fact that he can’t keep her out of his head.

Emma needs to win. Finding the priceless watch would go a long way in clearing old debts and provide some financial breathing room. The only thing standing in her way is Brian. Oh, and those pesky fantasies she’s harbored for years.

In The Maverick, an October 06 Blaze release, Former Ranger Guy McCann finds himself the last of three. His other friends have paid their debt and come home attached in the process. He isn’t about to let that happen.

Julia Beckham, a relationship therapist, finds herself paying a debt of her own by agreeing to help train a special group of Rangers. Sounds simple enough. Until an embarrassing encounter forces her to admit that her own relationships aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. She soon discovers that the man she’s sharing chalkboard space with has more to teach her than how to hold a gun.

The second of Ms. St. Claire’s Bullet Catcher books features Max Roper, one of the elite squad of personal protection agents headed by Lucy Sharpe. Max is stoic and unruffled until Lucy gives him his most difficult assignment yet. Forget the clichéd assignments. He’s been assigned to not only guard his former lover, but investigate her as well. She’s suspected of killing her billionaire husband. Lucy challenges Max to stay detached. This should be a shoe-in for Mad Max.

Corinne Cooper Peyton suspected someone murdered her much older husband who was a mall developer, and she’s not exactly certain that the same person isn’t trying to kill her too. However, she’s afraid to trust anyone with her suspicions, not even her best friend Breezy. Then Max strolls back into her life and she begins to see a glimmer of hope. Max is an ally. Right?

Neither of them count on the chemistry that still zings between them and gets in the way of the investigation until it takes on a life of its own and they can’t fight it any longer.

Thrill Me to Death is suspenseful and captivating. The reader is immediately drawn into the action and the setting, which is the world of the mega-wealthy. The level of sexual tension starts high and only escalates.

I could not put this book down. It is rare for me to stay up past midnight to read, but when I turned the last page of Thrill Me to Death, the clock read 4:00 A.M. That’s how hot this book is. That’s how the plot sucks you right in. That’s how well it’s written.

Read it by the pool, at the beach, in bed, on your lunch break, but just read it.

Maven Linda Howard's new release, Cover of Night, introduces us to Cate Nightingale, a young widow struggling to raise twin boys and make ends meet with her B&B in Trail Stop, Idaho. After one of her lodgers disappears, two men break into the inn and demand the his abandoned belongings.

Cate can't decide if she's more shocked by the threat or being rescued by her handyman-the handyman she's used since she moved there, but never really noticed before this moment. Calvin Harris isn't what he seems, certainly not the extremely shy older man Cate assumed. She finds herself grateful for this change of perception as the town is cut off from the outside world by criminals bent on recovering incriminating evidence. With their lives in danger, Cate must depend on Calvin to keep them all safe and protected under the cover of night.

My favorite part of this book is the characterization! Linda goes into great detail about Cate-her background and current struggles, her ingenious solutions to her financial problems and the intricacies of raising two boys on her own. Calvin's character is revealed more slowly, but in just as much depth, letting us see why he's waited this long for Cate to recognize him as a man. His very patience and intensity ignited love for this strong, yet quiet hero!

There is also a lot of insight into the villains of this book. Though one of them could definitely be termed a "stupid criminal", there are valid reasons why his plans for Cate and Trail Stop are carried out. I loved seeing how the villains worked with and against each other to accomplish their individual goals.

Lisa Langley was buried alive four year ago and only made it out because of the heroic efforts of Special Agent Brad Booker. Although the person responsible went to prison and was later killed, a copycat killer surfaces, making everyone wonder if the Grave Digger was really back from the dead. As more women are found dead and the list of suspects grow, they must work together to solve the mystery and catch the killer before he comes after Lisa to finish what he’d started...

This book helped me through a long flight and an extended layover on a recent trip. The cast of characters is wonderful - each with their secrets, keeping you guessing who the killer is until the very end. It fooled me and I’m pretty hard to stump. This book has a great suspense plot, steamy romance, a relationship you’ll cheer for, and creepy images that might keep you up at night thinking about it!

Okay, so I’m not normally a fan of sheik books, but this one went right to the top of my To Be Read pile. Not because it’s by one of our Mavens, or because it’s her 50th book (although that does help). It went straight to the top because it’s dedicated to us, The Children.

(Note to anyone who wants to guarantee their book will get recommended on this site, guarantee we’ll buy lots of copies to give away on the site, and guarantee we’ll promote the snot out of it…dedicate it to us.)

Our Mavens write good books—and this one is no exception. Our sheik, Kadir, is alpha and sexy, but, most importantly (to me), he’s believable as both a sheik and a hero. He’s not a stereotypical Arab, but his motivations are believable and make sense as he’s attracted to (and resists) our spunky, modern, career-driven heroine, Cassandra. The suspense element of the plot drives our couple together nicely, keeping them in enough physical danger to make us worry about them, and creates a love story that makes sense and pulls on the heart.

I love the use of tabloid journalism in the plot, and Lexie, Cassandra’s sister, serves as a great contrast for the conservative Cassie. I’m hoping Lexie shows up in her own book.

And if there’s a funnier mental picture than an alpha sheik hero on a pink scooter, I’d like to see it.

You can order this book now off Amazon or eHarlequin. We’ll also be giving away signed copies on the blog in the near future.

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer - Reviewed by Kira Sinclair

I’m certain I wasn’t alone in my reaction when I heard that Jennifer Crusie was teaming up with some guy named Bob Mayer who wrote thrillers and science fiction. What was she thinking? She had an excellent career. I loved her stories, her humor, that unique Jenny perspective. There was no reason to muck around with the perfect thing! I felt like crying.

Then I read the book. And laughed, cried, even woke my husband up kicking the bed and screaming.

Jenny and Bob manage to combine the differing male/female perspectives into one cohesive experience that grabs you from page one and pulls you straight through to the end.

Lucy Armstrong, film director extraordinaire, arrives on set in Savannah to find more than she bargained for. A cranky crew – what’s left of them, a cast that doesn’t have the first clue, her ex-husband heading the stunt team, her sister depressed and exhausted, an unhappy wonder-woman-obsessed five-year old niece, a menacing financial backer, a one eyed gator...oh and the sexy Green Beret she can’t seem to ignore. And as if that weren’t enough headaches, she discovers this shoot isn’t all it appears to be.

Being a stunt double should be a piece of cake compared to everything else J.T. Wilder, a Green Beret, has been through in his life. But apparently no one told the CIA, the bad guys, or the sexy movie director that he’s on leave. When all hell breaks loose guess who’s going to have to save the day? Well, maybe the tough, amazing WonderWear sporting Lucy can make the risks worthwhile.

Recently I found a book that had somehow slipped to the bottom of my bookcase, dusty and hidden from my avid eye, which was good, because I needed to be writing instead of reading. But since I was between manuscripts, finding Forget Me Not by Marliss Melton was like finding a gem secreted away for the perfect time.

This is the story of Gabe and Helen Renault, brought back together after Gabe was presumed dead during a military mission. He comes home to a wife who has gained a prized independence and isn’t ready to commit once again to a secretive and guarded husband. This struggle is compounded by his inability to remember anything from the past three years.

This book kept me hooked until the true traitor was exposed and I was able to cheer not only Gabe’s vindication, but also Helen’s strength as she fought right beside her husband. I couldn't wait to read the second in the series.

In The Dark chronicles the efforts of the SEAL team to exonerate Gabe when he is arrested on bogus charges. Luther Lindstrom rescues kidnapped Defense Intelligence agent Hannah Geary. This take-charge Lieutenant is disconcerted by his attraction to sexy, strong-willed Hannah as they seek to uncover the Individual, the sinister mastermind behind Hannah's kidnapping and Gabe's legal troubles.

This story about the heroine who can rescue herself-and the hero too!-and the hero looking for a more traditional wife skids along some interesting twists and turns. I loved the reversal of roles, which kept you guessing as to how the problems would be resolved.

To Die For by Linda Howard
Scandalous by Karen Robards
Reviewed by Kimberly Lang

This month’s book review is a two-fer. Neither book is exactly new, but that’s not why you’re here anyway, right?

I’d heard a lot about To Die For long before I ever got to read it. Blair’s story is very different from Linda Howard’s other novels, but I like it when favorite authors try something new. To Die For is written in first person—which isn’t my favorite point of view—but I liked being inside Blair’s head. I felt connected to this character (we had a lot in common), and that made the story as a whole work very well for me. Our hero, Wyatt, ummm…yummy. Alpha enough to get my blood pumping without being an arrogant SOB. The plot just flowed naturally, keeping me turning pages until the wee hours of the morning without realizing it. I also love being able to laugh in the middle of a romantic suspense, and Blair made me laugh out loud.

When an author I admire gushes over another author, I pay attention. When several authors I admire all but swoon over another author, I go get the book ASAP. The Playfriends read the Mavens, but the Mavens read Karen Robards.

I loved Scandalous. I devoured it so quickly the Playground Monitor didn’t even have time to get it listed in the “What I’m reading” section. Plucky heroine, mysterious hero, sizzling, serious sexual tension…I was sucked in. Scandalous is part one of the Banning sisters’ trilogy, and I must now go find the other two books. Historical fans will love this book, and it could make historical-haters change their minds. With the murder that kicks the plot into motion and the on-going quest to find out who-dun-it and why, there’s even something there for those that love romantic suspense.

Isadora Fyne, the eldest of the Fyne sisters, has earned a reputation that make some fearful and others suspicious. In the third installment of the Sisters of the Sun trilogy, Isadora finds herself a prisoner in the palace of the Emperor. Biding her time caring for the pregnant Empress, she struggles to choose between the light and the darkness that has robbed her of her magical powers.

Captain Lucan Hern doesn’t want anything to do with the Emperor, but he’s willing to entertain a treaty with him to provide him access to the beautiful, mysterious Isadora – and the ring she wears. It may be the elusive Star of Bacwyr he’s been searching for – the key to restoring the glory for his people what was stolen by an evil sorceress years before.

Isadora tries to resist the handsome and persistent Captain, but she can’t hold out forever – especially having been without a man since her husband died. Lucan is mesmerized by her, but will his attraction continue after he finds out witchcraft is in her blood? In Columbyana, when two people are drawn together yet too stubborn for their own good, sparks are bound to fly. Especially when one of them is a Fyne wtich.

Will the Fyne Curse rob Isadora, Juliet and Sophie of their happiness? This third book is a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy, keeping the story as lively and fresh as it was in the first two – The Sun Witch and The Moon Witch. Whether or not you are a fan of the fantasy genre, Linda Winstead Jones will quickly turn you into one. The Sisters of the Sun Trilogy are worth the dedication of a couple long afternoons – let the dishes and the laundry wait while you finish these great books.

Penny Sue Paine, of Alabaster Creek, Alabama, is a genteel southern belle. She comes from an old southern family, lives in an old Victorian house with her maiden aunt, runs a store called “Penny Sue’s Pretties,” is running for mayor and she just got Lucky. She hasn’t won the lottery. Oh no! She’s executor of her aunt’s will, which left a 23-million-dollar inheritance to a dog named Lucky. And she’s Lucky’s legal guardian. The entire family, who stand to inherit the money after Lucky goes to puppy-dog heaven, is understandably upset.

When someone shoots Lucky, Penny Sue decides drastic measures call for drastic action and she hires a bodyguard for the dog. Now the family is really upset. How dare she spend their inheritance on a 24/7 bodyguard for a dog?

Vic Noble of the Dundee Agency has seen his share of action but guarding a millionaire dog isn’t his idea of a choice assignment. However when he sets eyes on Miss Penny Sue, she rocks his world and sets it spinning. The only problem is that they are complete opposites. She’s prim and proper and Vic openly admits that he was raised as poor white trash. But despite their differences, the attraction between them grows.

Pretty soon, as the old song goes, an irresistible force meets an immovable object and something has to give. The question is, who will give first?

What a delightful book! It has an interesting angle for the suspense plot and a heroine and hero that you will fall in love with instantly – especially if you are from the south. The cast of secondary characters are an encyclopedia of quirks and eccentricities and add richly to the story, which has as many twists as a bag of pretzels.

PENNY SUE GOT LUCKY will make great fireside reading on a cold day. Or if you can’t work it into your schedule til later, it will make a great beach read too. Regardless, just be sure you read it.

Jill Davidson has agreed to pose as “Princess Jane” on a reality television show to bail out her sister who was supposed to play the part. Jill’s been bailing out Jessie ever since their parents died and she became a surrogate parent at a too-young age. She’s also trying to get over being dumped by her boyfriend, who also happens to be her partner on the police force. Maybe having twelve bachelors vying for her attention will take her mind off her sister and her ex.

Enter Rob Lancaster, hunky producer of “Jane Millionaire,” who rattles Jill’s cage even though she knows that he’s off limits. There’s a big problem though. She rattles his cage too. Rob hates reality TV but if he can make this show a success, he’ll get a shot at producing his own drama series. So he has to ignore his hormones. That should be easy, especially after being burned by his starlet ex-wife. However there’s something refreshing and pure about Jill that makes him want to break the rules.

Can Rob and Jill scratch the itch without jeopardizing the show and their careers?

Janice Lynn’s debut novel was the winner of the first Romantic Times BookClub American Title contest in 2005. It is filled with drama and sexual tension with a healthy of humor for good measure. Engaging secondary characters add depth, several plot twists keep the plot from being predictable and using the premise of ever-popular reality television makes the book timely and adds a high concept factor.

JANE MILLIONAIRE comes highly recommended as a sexy, sassy, fun read that will keep you thoroughly entertained. It gets two thumbs-up from this reader.

Mystery writer Maggie Dufrane is forty-one and facing a reversal of roles in her life. Her mother has just been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and the doctor has given her anywhere from one to seven years to live. So Maggie, divorced and currently jobless, moves back into the family homestead to look after her Mama. Then her sister Jean drops a bombshell and suddenly life is driving Maggie crazy – literally and figuratively. She’s the only one who actually drives a car, so she’s chauffeur to both the special women in her life.

But soon she discovers a special man too. He’s Joseph “Rainman” Jones, DJ at the local radio station. He takes a shine to Maggie and vice versa. Between dealing with her mother, her sister and this new man in her life, Maggie’s takes a big, wide turn in the journey of life and this southern belle goes from being a wilting blossom to a steel magnolia.

Peggy Webb has drawn deep from her Mississippi roots and written a story that any southern female Baby Boomer can relate to – the changing relationship between aging parents and their children, the curve balls that life throws at us and the fact that you’re never too old for love and laughter.

I’m a big fan of Rhonda Nelson’s CHICKS IN CHARGE series, and book three didn’t disappoint. When April Wilson loses her orgasm, she turns to the man dubbed “The Vagina Whisperer” for help. Thing is, he’s her first love, and the one she never quite got over. Luckily, he’s not over her, either.
     Rhonda always writes wonderful, likable heroines-- and April is no exception-- but the hero, Ben Hayes, took over this book for me as he did all kinds of funny things to my insides. Sexy and sensitive, Ben is true fantasy fodder.
     Getting it Right is sassy and full of attitude, and, oh my, the sex is unbelievably hot. April wasn’t the only one panting and needy...
     Two stilettos up for the Chicks in Charge. Get it.

As a mother of two small children who love to wake me at dawn, there are few things I’ll stay up half the night for. Killing Her Softly by Beverly Barton (WP’s own Maven) is definitely worth the bleary eyes and sluggish brain that result after only three hours of sleep. Beverly keeps you guessing as Annabelle Vanderley and Quinn Cortez hunt a serial killer targeting Quinn’s ex-lovers. I couldn’t stop reading until I found out if the killer got caught before they arrested Quinn for the murders.

Beverly is an expert at writing bad boy heroes. Quinn Cortez is one of my favorites. Love ‘em and leave ‘em to the core, he first sees Annabelle as a challenge. But when bad boys fall in love, they fall hard. My heart pounded and I had to blink away tears during the scenes where he recognizes and admits his love for Annabelle. He stole my heart along with hers. This book is definitely a keeper!

Updating:

Slugs and martyrs:

Preparations

The Day Of

Equipment

Building The Writing Playground Part II: HTTP://WWW.COMPLETELYCONFUSED.COM by Alexandra Frost

Building The Writing Playground Part II: HTTP://WWW.COMPLETELYCONFUSED.COM
by Alexandra Frost