Make Mine Supers (5)

Sam beat me! And then she runs away! Come back soon, Sam. We'll miss ya!

Jeannie......Congratulations on the Senior Award.  A student given award is the greatest award a teacher can get!!

Thanks everyone for the warm congrats on the house and the contract. Both are very exciting news.

Shelley B: So glad you liked it!! I loved Nora. It was so much fun to just let her mouth run. I really just took dictation as she said whatever she pleased. There was a certain freedom in that!

Sam: How cool that you're midway in AKTR. Let me know what you think!

 Alright, so we're giving the real estate agent the go ahead today. I couldn't sleep at all last night and my tummy is a wreck!! Is this what home buying is like?? Even when I closed my eyes I saw paint samples flying across my lids as I imagined the colors I wanted for the walls. 

Kim 

Hi Jeannie--Congratulations on your award. I agree with Ellen that the student awards are a special kind of thing.

I'm with Sam--busy, busy this week. When Wanted Man came out I didn't do any publicity. I'm shy and was fairly sure I'd never sell another book so it seemed silly. I'm trying to do some promotion this time around and it's good but strange. The voice I use to write promo stuff is very "on" and it's hard to maintain that. It's like being at a cocktail party that lasts for several weeks.

This whole writing gig is so wonderfully complicated, isn't it? I use so much more of my whole self for my writing than I do for my day job.

Shelley--your vacation tips made me so envious. It sounds as if you had a fantastic time. Thanks for sharing with all of the armchair travelers here--we appreciate it as much as Kay!

Look. Here I am on vacation in my mind-->

Kim--you know what's awesome about buying a house? Unless you're Sam or Holly, those paint chips will keep flying around your dreams for YEARS because that's how long it takes ordinary mortals to redo their houses. Fingers remain crossed for you!

Have a fun day if you can. I know it's Monday but I feel an obligation to Holly to give it the old college try, you know?

Writer Ellen

P.S. Tasha--my kid turned the game system on.

It's a beautiful Monday here in New England! The sun is shining, the Red Sox swept the D-Rays, the Celtics crushed the Hawks in Game 7 and I lost 2 pounds...yeah!

Jeannie ...what an honor! That is so wonderful!

Shelly...thanks so much for the insider's look at Hawaii...that's one of the places on my 'list'!

:::waving to everyone:::

What? Hot caddies? Oh, for Pete's sake.

My oldest ds (11) loves to golf. No hoochies for him, thank you.

Sheesh.

 Ami

you crack me up! I always giggle my way through your posts. And some hostas do better in the sun than others. If they are that huge they may need to be divided.

I'm off to unpack. i cannot believe how long this is taking me...

Ami

My son is writing a short story. It's about a battle for Omaha Beach told from the perspective of an infantryman in World War II. Want to hear the first line? Private Carl Timbers watched himself puke. The boy understands the concept of a hook, huh?

(Amy--this is my son with the writing issues. He's writing like a champ--easily and copiously--this year with his AlphaSmart. There's hope!)

Ronda--I hope that excerpt didn't give you flashbacks! Take care of yourself and your kiddos. Glad to hear the new computer is up and running. You need your tools.

Christyne--2 pounds is awesome. Congrats on that loss.

My cousin who's expecting triplets has gone to the hospital! She's past 33 weeks so we're all thinking this is it. My sister who's at 38 weeks is consumed with envy. (In a woman that pregnant most emotions look like rage, but I'm pretty sure what she's feeling is envy. )

Ami--we didn't get unpacked for a long time after we moved. (This is probably not surprising to you given other things I've shared about my lifestyle and lazy tendencies.) I like to take the time to live in a space before I fill it up, though. Gives me a chance to get to know the light and the patterns of use, etc.

Mother's Day--yuck. Is it evil to admit I'm not a fan of that holiday? It's so much pressure on everyone. If I were to invent a holiday it would be Give Yourself and Everyone Else a Break day. Deb, I hope you enjoy your multi-celebrations day.

Cheers,

Writer Ellen

Susan,  Sorry you're cracked...uh, that your mat is cracked!  LOL

Ami, You and I are soul sisters...I can't do maps or directions or remember street names to save my life.  My dh gets me around Erie with directions like, "Remember the church with the cool stained glass out front you like?  Go there, turn right..."  LOL  And I bought a GPS.  Minerva is a wonder!

Shelley, Great Hawaii advice for Kay!  I'd love to go some day!  Good luck with Jemma!

Sam, Husbands are lovely creatures, except when you have to work!  Hope he gives you some space!

Okay...following Rae's trail...

I'm here!!

Chelle, Everyone beat me...number two to the new thread wasn't bad!  LOL  And I've been using NBB since the movie.  I love a lot of people, but most of them, I love in a NBB way!  LOL  Congrats on the African violets and the new computer!!

Oh, Jeannie, CONGRATULATIONS!  That's lovely.  Hoping it was a great night!

Morning, EllenToo and Christyne!

Kim, I'm so excited for you!  Hoping everything goes through smoothly!

Tasha, We've done lots of sports here, no softball/baseball. We're in soccer season.  We had a game last night, and one tomorrow.  Good luck!!

Deb, Wow...have great birthdays and a nice Mother's Day.  Daughter #2 called yesterday and is taking me to lunch and Sex in the City on Friday to celebrate.  Very nice girl!

Amy, I'm sure your mom is going to love it!!

Ellen, So, did you have a nice Monday???  LOL 

I went and bought a yard of mulch (the back of the truck was full) and planned on starting it, then finishing w/ my dh when he got home.  But when he got here, I'd finished.  Yes, I put an entire yard down by myself.  Now, you're thinking there's no way Holly could have had an I-love-Monday day, but hey, all that exercise meant I could eat pretty much anything I like and not worry about calories.  So, all in all, it was still a great Monday.  Add to that, everything looks sooo nice out front!!

Hoping it's a terrific Tuesday for everyone!!  LOL

Holly

(((TASHA))) kudos to you for sending it in! I heard the same thing from my critique, need more conflict. I am as of yet, a bit conflicted as to how to up the conflict :)

I admit to being directinally-dysfunctional. There is no hope. So I got DH a GPS system that I can borrow :)

I did hear something about teachers week and buried it in my mind, as I am still unsure what to do about VNA week (this week) and nurses week (this week) and mothers day (coming this week) ACK!! SO you are doing something for the teacher EVERY day Ronda? If so, I am surely lacking here. But it's only Tuesday, right? Surely I have time :)

Maureen

Tasha, {{HUGS}} on the rejection.  Chocolate cupcakes are totally called for!  Yes, wallow for a day, then get back in the saddle.  Holly & I are giving a workshop in a little over a week called Writing: It's Not a Sprint, It's a Never-Ending Marathon with Hurdles. <G>  It's not a short haul thing, no matter where you are in your writing, and there's always obsticles.  Things happen.  So, you just have to keep running.  Pace yourself.

Conflict.  Do Deb Dixon's GMC book, for starters.  I find conflict has to be built into the characters, their backstory, their plot, etc. right from the very inception.  It's hard (but doable!) to add it in later.  Give them something very big to have to jump over.  Something that would seem almost insurmountable.  (Of course, then you have to actually succeed at mounting it.  LOL.) 

You totally deserve kudos (and cupcakes) for first of all, writing a story.  And then, for submitting it.  Some people never take that step because they're too afraid.  So, even though it was a rejection, WELL DONE!  Good for you.  You can learn how to strengthen conflict.

Good luck with your son's hearing evaluation.  Hope it all goes well, and he doesn't become a beligerent drunk from the sedative. 

Ellen, I LOVE "Give Yourself & Everyone Else a Break Day!"  What a great holiday.  But you know what would happen, right?  We would be convinced that means mom shouldn't cook, because she needs a break.  So we'd have to go out to eat.  Hallmark would start making cards, because hey, if there's any kind of a market, they'll do it.  Spas would offer special gift packages to give the special people in your life a break.  The same would go for the coffee pushers, the doughnut pushers, the candy pushers, etc.  And before you know it, GY&EEAB Day is Mother's Day II, the monster sequel that's even more all-encompassing because you have to provide a break for EVERYONE.  LOLOL!

I have a pretty good sense of direction.  Most of the time.  It only goes haywire when Holly and I try to leave a conference hotel.  LOLOL!  (And I am NOT cracked, Holly.  Sheesh. (g) )

New thread. That will be a goobye for me at least for quite a long time. (Fear not I still read all your books.) When I finished the first draf of the WIP I submitted to SR, I realized it doesn’t fit the H mold, and I’ve been trying to squeeze it in. Nothing like having a reality check. I’m submitting it to an agent I talked to. I feel liberated because now it’s written the way it should be.

It sounds like I must send Congratulations to Kim.

Congratulations, Jeannie! Great honor.

Tasha, [[hugs]] It’ll be better next time. Sally, Hugs too. Rs are meant to be a learning experience.

Vieve

Thanks for leaving a trail of cheese, Rae!  I thought I'd quickly catch up on the new thread and then go back and read what I'd missed on the old thread, but WOW you guys have been busy!

Hail to Holly the Mulch Queen!  You are my heroine!  It sounds like you and your hubby are a real team and I so admire that. 

Tasha and Sally Jane, sending cyber hugs your way on the R's!  You both seem to be handling them well.  Chocolate is a must for me.  The conflict thing is sometimes difficult for all of us to wrap our minds around, especially if we have a penchant for being too kind to our characters.  You have to dive in there and really put the screws to them.  I know I've got a great conflict when I can't figure out for the life of me how I'll get the H & H together in the end.  Then I have to trust them to work it out somehow.   Susan gave some great advice.  I'm a big fan of Deb Dixon's GMC book.

May I join the Directionally-Challenged Club???  I do know left from right, but get turned around VERY easily.  If I got into a store in a mall, I'll invariably go the wrong direction when I leave.

Kim, I'm pretty sure I congratulated you elsewhere, but let me say again, WOO HOO on your RS sales!!  And a house in the works, too?  You definitely buy the lottery tickets this week!  In my experience, buying a house usually involves lots of sleepless nights.  Mostly it's the fun stuff like paint chips.  Sometimes it's oh-my-gosh what have I done?!  Both kinds are an exceedingly normal part of the process.  Keep us posted!

Jeannie, enjoy your evening!  With high school kids, it makes it extra special that you were chosen.  They are sooo particular about who they admire at that age.  I imagine it's times like these that make you remember why you went into teaching.  Very cool!

Christyne, kudos on the weight loss!  It adds up!

And Kay may be able to get one of those Hootchie Caddy jobs with her impressive weight loss.  Chelle, I got such a chuckle out of the Hot Caddy information!  As if some men need any more encouragement to spend time on the golf course!

Amy, I'm impressed with your Mother's Day gift plan.  I feel like an underachiever for just buying a card and candy.

Ronda, I'm sorry to hear about the puking kids.  And Ellen, your son has a killer hook!  Alphasmarts have to be the most underutilized tool for kids. 

Okay, I know I've forgotten to mention more stuff than I remembered, but I'm trying....

Carrie   

Friday-the-agency-I-work-for-will-have

a-party-for-us-nurses.There-will-be-pinatas

food,and-gifts.

I-like-to-write-stories.My-plan-is-to-expand

on-the-story-I-started-in-the-contest.

Aurelene

Sorry for the rejects! (As a Superromance editor, I sometimes feel guilty when I read the loop at lunch--like this is a place for you guys to converse without an editor swooping in...)

I had a very garbled conversation about conflict and "obstacles to love" at the Chicago conference with a handful of authors. I like what Susan said about it in her post. But I'm wondering if I can't add more...garbled thinking!

Why don't we forget about conflict for a minute and talk about stakes. Robert McKee, in his book Story, writes: "Pressure is essential. Choices made when nothing is at risk mean little. If a character chooses to tell the truth in a situation where telling a lie would gain him nothing, the choice is trivial, the moment expresses nothing. But if the same character insists on telling the truth when a lie would save his life, then we sense that honesty is at the core of his nature....The more powerful and complex the forces of antagonism opposing the character, the more completely realized character and story must become."

Without referring to any particular submission or writer, it's common for us to see stories with characters making low-stake choices--like telling the truth when telling a lie gains nothing. This low stakes leads to low tension and a lack of compelling obstacle between characters.

In the same vein, it's common for us to see characters not acting on their high-stakes motivation, as established in their backstories. Clues are often characters thinking in their heads, "Normally I wouldn't put up with this...why am I putting up with this now?" Motivate the characters and let them act based on who they are (how you've set them up to be) and then the challenge--as Susan Gable points out--is how to get them out of the ensuing pickle they find themselves in.

There's so much more to explore, but my lunch is over! I've got to get back to a line edit.

Good wishes, everybody.

Victoria

(((Vieve))) Sorry the new thread is making you leave.

Victoria - Thank you so much for the comments.  They help!

Well said, Victoria.   

 Jeannie

Vieve, say you're not leaving!  Your wildlife posts give me insight into a world so different from the desert in which I live.  But I understand wanting to be where your writing fits like a glove.  It's such a huge gift when you discover where that is!  Maybe you can stop in now and then to let us know how it's going?

Thanks for the concrete example, Victoria!  It helps me wrap my mind around it.  I don't do well understanding the theoretical, but give me a real-life example and it seems to stick.

Carrie

Raise the stakes is the best writing advice I ever got. It's amazing how many smart people (Hi, Victoria!) have said it to me. (I guess also amazing how many times I need to hear the same advice...)

I remember way back when my friend and I were just starting to try to figure out how to do this romance writing thing--this was when we thought it was possible to figure it out--and we got this exact advice from Maggie Shayne at an RWA chapter meeting.

It was a lightbulb moment. We drove back home positively giddy because that advice, raise the stakes, is freedom. It means you can forget about what you would do or what normal people would do and let your characters be characters. Nobody is going to pay to read my lifestory--I purposely avoid raising stakes! But my characters, when I manage to stay out of their way, are willing to take risks.

Hugs to the thread. I admire anyone who's written a book and had the courage to send it out. That's a huge accomplishment.

Where's the round of applause emoticon? Since I can't find it, I'm sending virtual chocolate cupcakes--calorie free of course--to everyone! Eat up and then back to work!

Cheers,

Writer Ellen

Jeannie, congrats on your senior award.  Teaching can have so few extrinsic rewards.  It's nice to get recognition from the very people (students) who you most want to reach.  Yay for you:)

 Tasha and Sally Jane:  I'll just add my hugs to those you've already received for the R's.  Everyone is proud of you for submitting, and we're all rooting that you'll get "the call" next time 'round. 

Conflict:  Yes, that's what I need to work on as well. Thanks, Victoria, for your timely jump onto the board!

Sorry if I went on and on about Hawaii.  I should set a story there and call it Tropical Itch!  Now working out yet another plotline in my head.  Too many going at once.  Ack!

Thanks guys! Cyber hugs mean a lot.

I was holding it together great yesterday, because as rejections go, it was a nice one. Then Middle Child came and hugged me and said, "Mom. Don't let go of your dreams." Sniffle.

Today I'm ready to come back swinging. I did get GMC on all of your great recommendations a few weeks ago, and so I'm set there. I plan on re-reading MS #2 with an eye toward conflict...er...I mean raising the stakes. Then I'll go back through #1 and see what can be done. In the meantime, Ellen Hartman's new book is winging it's way toward me even now. Hopefully it will arrive in time for the dreaded Mother's Day. I usually ask for an afternoon of hassle-free reading as my gift.

As far as son's prognosis, it's as good as we can hope for. Looks like he'll have a hearing aide for his right ear, but the CT showed no structural abnormalities. Which is great - because it means he can play sports and participate in PE. Also, if we eventually need to go the cochlear implant route, he's free and clear. So blessings there.

Have a great night everyone - and again, thanks for all the support.

Tasha

late in coming but well meaning! Glad to see you come back swinging! And love the comment from your middle child.

Vieve...hope you keep popping in here from time to time!

Holly...all that mulch by yourself? Good for you!

Choices made when nothing is at risk mean little.

Thank you Victoria for those words...they are now on a post-it note attached to my monitor!

Hey Ellen...the Dear Author blog has some nice things to say about HIS SECRET PAST...its a May Recommend Read!

Sally...I agree with you on the "Who's the worst possible person?" for my hero and heroine...that's what makes it so much fun!

Hi,

Tasha--Glad it seems as if things will be okay for your son. Definitely take your child's advice. You have a very wise little one there.

Rita--thanks for trying to buy my book. I'm planning a book tour for Friday night with my agent--we're heading to Borders and Target with my autographed by the author stickers. I hope we'll find it somewhere out there in the Wild!

Christyne and Rita--thanks for sharing the Dear Author thing. I was pretty much petrified when I sent it to them. Then I figured if I sent it in to Victoria (a.k.a. She Who Terrifies Pitchers), I could handle it. I'm interested to see the rest of the review. (By interested I mean "I hit refresh nine thousand times since this afternoon.") You guys are the ones who understand what this stuff means to a girl. I showed it to my husband and he said, "Is that good?"

My friend Diana was delighted to see they'd enjoyed Mason in all his beta glory. We both write beta men and it's heartening to know those sensitive souls are appreciated.

I have a guest blog at Cigars this week so I need to go polish my prose!

Cheers,

Writer Ellen

Tasha, Hugs on the R...  You had the right idea, chocolate, wine, then back to work tomorrow (which is today for me)! Oh, I loved, "Don't let go of your dream."  Don't!!  And glad the CT went well., but hugs for that too!!  It's hard to do kids and doctors.  But I'm glad the prognosis was good.  Okay, just lots and lots of hugs.  A professor I woked with early on in my writing (we broke up when he became annoyed I was writing romance SIGH), explained conflict as, John got his butt in a bear trap and spends the rest of the story trying to get out of it.  LOL

Maureen, Welcome to the DD (Directionally Dysfunctional) club...we seem to have a lot of members on this board!  LOL  Did you name your GPS?  They like names!

Ellen, Monday wasn't bad it better than Monday sucked, so I'll take it!  LOL

Susan, Really?  You think you're not cracked?  LOL  And Susan always manages to get us where we're going so life is good!

Jeannie, also a member of the DD or maybe the Right-Left club??, thank you so much for the title...I accept it!  I was out yesterday admiring my mulch...it makes such a difference.  My yard is looking marvelous!!  (Okay, that sounded cocky, but seriously, it is!  LOL)

Pawn Shop Rae, Already read that you did okay!!  I'm glad!

Sally, aka Wrong-Way, Hugs on your R from SR, too!  Lots of them.

Vieve, Glad you're finding where your writing fit!!  But seriously, don't leave for good...we'd miss you!!  I'd love you to stay, but if not, stop in to say hi sometimes??!!

Kim, Fingers crossed on the offer, and your son's going to be thrilled!!

Carrie, DD Sister, Glad you followed Rae's trail.  And yes, my dh is my best friend.  We have more fun just doing stupid stuff together than two people should!  LOL Whether it's yardwork, or getting wood for the fireplace, or antiquing and wine shopping...I just like him! <g>

Aurelene, Have a great party!!

Jeannie, So glad it was a nice evening!!

Victoria, You're a very sweet lady!!  I like your explanation of what you're looking for.  Your explanation worked well for me!

Shelley, I loved the Hawaii stuff!!

Christyne, I'm tough!  LOL  You should see me splitting wood.  Okay, it's not all that fun to see me get hot and sweaty, but I'm pretty good at it.  Except the year I was using a wedge and the sledge hammer slipped...landed on my knee.  Right before a conference.  Let me tell you, the green knee looked so good with my cocktail dress!  (You can dress me up, but you can't really take me anywhere!  LOL)

M