Moira Keith

Yes, the first round of edits are back and Buckling Down is on its way to polished perfection. (Or so I hope!)

I have been immersing myself in my corrections, wondering exactly how I managed to make such vague comments about certain issues in the book, and yet go so over-the-top on others. Obviously the story came through as I had intended otherwise it wouldn’t have made the cut, still I wonder how I managed to overlook such things. Possibly, they just seem more obvious to the trained editor’s eye, or the eye of someone who hadn’t spent months agonizing over details.

Anyhow, day job awaits, yet when I come home, it is nose to the grindstone. Edits aplenty await me, and you know what? They do not intimidate me. Okay, well maybe a wee bit, but I am actually excited about this process. I know there are those of you out there who think I must be sick. No, all is well here in Moira-land. I promise. The whole thing really does seem real now. I remember signing the contract and sending it in, calling my ENTIRE family with the news, and bugging all my online friends and cohorts in crime, but the moment the lovely Heidi sent me that “Edit Email”, that was my wake-up call.

Well I am off ladies and gents! I will stop back in and let you know how the process goes.

Slàinte!
Moira

P.S. Oh, I signed on to do 28 posts in 28 days to challenge myself. Think I can do it? We shall see. Want to join me in the challenge? Just click away on that lovely little badge of to the side there and get to it! Oh and if there are spelling errors, please do forgive, wordpress spell-check is totally bugging at the moment.

I don’t know about you, but I have often been accused of this. In a world where unfortunately, many people have lost touch with their inner child, is it really a bad thing to have one’s head in the clouds? Thank God, I never have to wonder where my inner child is. Why? Well I owe complete gratitude to my mom and dad. They ensure I remain in touch with that little girl who always dreamed of magic, unicorns, faeries, flying brooms, and other ‘impossibilities’. To this day, I still believe in such things. The world would be a pretty boring place if we all stopped believing.

Having my head in the clouds just provides me with a whole magical garden full of whatif flowers, just waiting for those like me, to help them bloom. The ‘what-ifs’ are food for dreamers and writers alike. Each whatif flower can give bloom  to more, simply through our belief. So what exists in your garden in the clouds? Are your whatifs made of magic and fantasy? Heartache and woe? Retribution? Mystery? Or perhaps they are made up of something else entirely.

Now with all of the talk of gardens in the clouds and what not, I must give my allegiance to the whatif flower which inspired this post… Margay Leah Justice

Thanks for inspiring me mom, dad, and of course …Margay! Oh and don’t forget to share!

On my recent tousle with the muse (namely-my desperate attempts to bribe my way back into her good graces) I realized that somewhere along the way, I lost touch with who my characters were. I’ve penned over one hundred glorious pages only to find myself wondering what the heroines inner conflict was, or why the hero doesn’t come off as ‘alpha’ to the heroine as he does to everyone else. So I sat, contemplated, read, questioned, re-read, and then it happened. The epiphany came and slapped me upside the head. Hard! My characters lacked consistency in their behaviour… or possibly their mannerisms…or something. I know it’s there, just under the surface and yet I can’t seem to grasp hold of it. 

This happens to me more than I care to admit. So many articles, books, and topics out there cover this very thing, but what works? Only you the great and powerful author hiding behind the curtain can reveal that. Why you ask? Because as with many things in writing and life it self, more than likely it is different for ever author, character, or story. Just getting the basics down-height, weight, age, hair color, eye color, you get the picture- isn’t always enough.

In the past I’ve toyed with writing character interviews. Always starting at the moment I first spot them walking into our ‘arranged’ meeting space. Something along the lines of this:

Sasha rushes into the French sidewalk café that was located at the famed Paris hotel in the heart of the city. She spots me waving her over, says a few things to the maître d’, smiles, and heads my direction. Heads turn to watch her as she weaves her way through the tables and stops next to my table.

“I am so sorry I am late.” She says as she slides her feet out the flip flops, and sits tucking one leg underneath and drawing the knee of her other leg up in front of her. The waiter quickly brings over a tomato and mozzarella salad with a glass of iced tea. Sasha thanks the waiter by name and returns her attention to me, politely ignoring the stares from the passersby on the strip and our fellow café patrons. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Alright then Sasha, let’s get the show on the road.  Who was your first boyfriend and what did you like most about them?”

“Boy you jump right into the nitty gritty of it all don’t you?” she says with a laugh, but I don’t fail to notice the gleam in her eye. There is a story there she is dying to get out. 

Other times, it is as simple as rough sketching each characters conflicts, goals, and motivation. The point is, when you are developing your characters, you need to truly know your characters, but it shouldn’t be boring. Have fun with it. Or at least that is my intention. I wonder if this is the golden key which will elicit more cooperation from the ever growing characters cramming their way into my head. 

So give it up, share, divulge the info, because you know what? I am not as smart as I pretend to be.

Now, I am well aware that a gut is not attractive in the least, however I think in this instance we can make an exception. Bare with me. I’ve hit a wall with my current manuscript. After discussing the manuscript over with some friends, getting a few critiques back, and doing a bit of brainstorming…I got back to work. The wall came again, but from left field. The problem as I see it, is due to over-thinking and complicating my plot and characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love the story, which why it has been such a labor of love. However, my gut kept telling me something was off. 

Today, I sat working on some suggested edits, and began asking myself the following: Is it possible to have an entirely overcomplicated plot or character background? Is it possible to have the details overshadow the heart of the story? In this particular instance, it’s entirely possible. I longed to make my heroine strong and different, while keeping her strong but flawed, with all the heart wrenching history that would make one love her all the more for her struggles and accomplishments. Not a bad thought process, yet maybe I did this too well. I feel as though I am chasing my tail while trying to connect all the dots, keep the story running smoothly, and eliminating all holes those dreaded plot monkeys managed to wheedle into my masterpiece.

I think I may have narrowed it down. My gut was screaming at me and I was refusing to listen. A friend simply said…maybe you should listen to your gut. Well that should be easy right? So now the only question is, will the story be stronger?Will the walls come down simply by eliminating a few bricks? We shall see. At this point, I am open to trying new things. I’ll keep you posted.

Oh, you didn’t know they had wings? To be honest, neither did I, but it is the only explanation I could come up with. Seriously, they aren’t there one minute, turn your back and they swoop in with uncanny swiftness. Did I mention their tendancy to eliminate entire sentences from a working masterpiece? I bet if you look through a book or your own manuscript and have a WTF moment? Flying plot monkeys….I’m just sayin’. 

Oh it’s not all bad news, I promise. Fact of the matter is, with a few pairs of helpful and ever watchful eyes, a brainstorm session or two, and those wings will be clipped and you can gently place the monkey in a cage. (Just make sure you hide the key. It’s amazing the feats they can accomplish)  

Happy writing and enjoy the rest of the week!

Would you like to know what it is? 

What can I say? My family buys me the…. coolest…. toys… EVER! I mean seriously…. when one finds themselves ready to pull their hair out or threaten the muse for her lack of cooperation, the only option left is to seek out a little fun and relaxation. What better way than picking up an instrument and pretending you are a rock god for a few hours? I can think of none! Well I can, but really this is the most affordable method in my arsenal! Ok seriously though… it is time for me to get back to writing before the guitar gods tempt me to join them!

I haven’t featured any inspirational mancandy as of late… think a little distraction is in order. And who better to be a distraction than a man name Matthew? 

Hope you enjoy! Talk to you soon.

Ah another year has come and gone. Are we in a better place? Personally? Professionally? 

Even with the economy being what it is, I would have to say my answer on both counts would be yes.  2008 was a big year for me. The twins turned five, I survived yet another Christmas, I welcomed a new nephew to the family, a new cousin (who is much lke a nephew in his own right), celebrated my seventh anniversary, and sold my first manuscript. 

So what is instore for me in the upcoming year? Only time will tell, but my plan is to finish at least two more manuscripts and sub them by the end of the year, see my kids off to their first year of school, and enjoy my first book release through Samhain. Think I am in over my head? Wait and see. 

YA WIP – Word Count 8130

Paranormal –  Word Count 38251