10 Minute Writer

I have to confess, I lied.

My current WIP is not the first novel I’ve started. It’s the fourth. All of them were so insignificant, I forgot they existed.

My first attempt happened in college, in the late ’80′s for a college writing course. I had to type it on a university computer (I didn’t know anyone who had their own computer) copy my work on a disk and carry the disk around with me. Once I lost the disk and had to try to remember about a hundred pages. I got a B in the class, I think mostly because I forgot to show up at my meetings with my professor, who didn’t get that I wanted to write about faith. Oh well. Once the class was over, I changed my major and forgot about the novel. It was lame anyway.

Attempt number two came about 1995. This lasted about two weeks. I had a plot, characters and a vision. But I got distracted. This might have been around the time I met an interesting young man on America Online and moved across the country to get engaged.

Attempt number three came a couple of years later. I was newly engaged and working as a temp in various offices. I wanted to combine my hometown’s history with the peculiar story of my great-grandfather who had thirteen wives, but then I got bogged down with the history of it. I also realized I am not a fan of extensive research, like what a historical novel might require. While I had the most invested in this attempt, I think I gave up on novel writing after this. I couldn’t see how my strengths fit in with the requirements of a long narrative. I also discovered that having a home (and getting pregnant a year after the wedding) took a lot of time and energy out of me.

Which brings us to this attempt, which I began in November of 2006. (Eight years and five babies later.) I started again with a new realization — my strengths could work. I could write a contemporary novel, not a historical one. I could write it like a sitcom. I could infuse my quirky humor. I could write what I knew about: temp agencies, failure, narcissism, the contrast between Oklahoma and Massachusetts, difficult pregnancies and grace. I’ve plodded along, often taking very long detours, but I’m not far from finishing.

My plan is this: to have a version worthy of beta readers by January 1, 2011. (This is after my terrific critique partner, Jane, gets through examining it.) Then, I’m going to draft a dozen or so readers to give me feedback, then I’m going to enter it in the ACFW’s Genesis contest on March 1. Then, on March 2. I’m starting another novel and I’m promising myself it won’t take four years to finish.

I’ve learned a truckload of lessons in this process. Next time, I’m going to do many things differently, here’s a few examples:

1) I‘d have a more systematic approach, like the Snowflake Method. I wasted a lot of time flitting from idea to idea. I thought I was making progress, but mostly I was writing in circles. It wasn’t until the second year of this journey that I started writing with any type of order.

2) I’d have a daily writing goal, and honestly, it would be larger than ten minutes. It would be, like, two thousand words a day. I recently read Stephen King’s book: On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft, and discovered that this is his daily goal. Now, he’s a full time writer. That doesn’t seem like a hefty amount to me. I believe I can meet that goal in addition to all my other responsibilities.

3) I’d read more. Stephen King said he read fifty books a year. That’s only one a week, people. I can do that too. I’ve decided a New Year’s Resolution for 2011 is to read at least fifty books next year and write down all the titles so I can say, at least to myself, “Look at me! I’m just like Stephen King!” (I want his success. I don’t want his style and subject matter, just so we’re clear.)

4) In the beginning, I wouldn’t worry too much about details. I spent way too much energy on the personal quirks of the characters. Little of that work is showing up in the manuscript. Next time, I want to put my energy into story first, then let the characters develop around it. I think it will move faster and I’ll be happier.

5) I’m going to simplify my timeline. In this story, I have a pregnancy taking place in my novel, so I need at least nine months. That’s a lot of time to tell a story. (Poor Suzanne, she’s been pregnant now for almost four years!) Next time, I’ll have the entire story take place over a month, or a weekend or a day.

6) Next time, of course, I’ll be under contract with a publishing house, I’ll have an agent and I’ll have a chair like this. Of course, I’ll name it “Steve” (after Mr. King) and write only bestsellers.

7) Here’s what my Twitter friends said they’d do:

@curlyrbr add more action at the beginning of the story

@SarahEGlenn Honestly, I haven’t a clue. I’d be glad to finish more stuff. That’d be different!

@billjonesjr I’m doing a better job of plotting, and pay attention to the 1st 1/4 of the book.

@paperbacklove Organize it and plot it right (heh.) I’ve got a 3-ring binder setup and some awesome software all ready to go!

@lisamarie20010 I’d plot it before I start writing instead of making it up as I go along – it will help with the synopsis as well.

@kathleenmbasi Think about the whole package up front–the target audience and the market, and plan with that in mind.

Here’s to Next Time! (And next time, I’ll be more honest!)

This is the biggest problem, I’ve seen so far with us writers: We’re a little moody.

You can accurately describe us as sensitive, introspective, emotional, melodramatic and sentimental. We view the world through lenses that are not rose-colored, but foggy with the condensation of our own tears. Every bad report, inconvenience, irritation, interruption, noise and Hallmark card commercial is truly the end of our worlds. We’re a mess. We know we’re a mess. Often there’s little we can do about it.

I’ve finally concluded if it weren’t for these emotions we wouldn’t be who we are. I really don’t think I can ever be that perpetually cheerful person on Facebook who writes: “SQUEE! It’s a beautiful day! My family is up! I’m making a seven course breakfast for them! Isn’t life good!” (And if I ever do that, please poke me to Kingdom Come.) In fact, if I don’t update my Facebook status, that might be reason to suspect that I’m in one of those dark moods and I can’t write anything, except something cute that one of my kids says.

I’ve always been like this, so why do I beat myself up for not smiling more? Why do I mope around the house and feel like I’m letting the universe down because I’m not doing a happy dance? Why do I berate myself when I go to a party and just don’t feel like talking much? This is who I am.

I have a hard time separating the essence of my personality from others’ expectations of me. I’ve also been saddled with a quintuple dose of guilt from my past which just wears me down and reminds me I’m not doing my part. This burden plus the melancholia is a bad combination.

I do understand that in my sadness, there is a temptation to sin: to yell at my loved ones, to believe that they hate me, to step into despair, to believe I am unloved, to despise myself or to be self-righteous, since no one “gets” me. I was not made to be sensitive for the purpose of sinning. I was made like this to be compassionate to suffering, to be creative, to formulate ideas, to put images and colors and phrases together, to point people to truth through my efforts.

And here’s the irony: if I’m going to make beautiful things that give hope, I have to spend large chunks of time alone doing it. Potentially, I’ll become self-absorbed, reclusive and silent. That and the Hemingway Whiskey and Cigarette Path To Fame is a time-bomb.

I’ve decided, starting today, that I’m going to try to be more aware of my moods. I’m going to see myself as in a foggy bubble. The real world, with all of its glory and joy is outside my bubble. The bubble itself is not reality, it’s only what I see. I can’t get out of the bubble, but I can stop thinking the world is gray. It’s not. It’s just me and my moods. My moods that are my friends.

My friends the moods. Now, everybody leave me alone with them. I want them to make me some money.

I won something again! I must be on a roll!

This time I won a free ten-page critique by Cassandra Marshall, an actual writing industry professional. What is good is that for the very first time, my wip will be reviewed by someone in the business. What is bad is that for the very first time, my wip will be reviewed by someone in the business. This could the perfect opportunity for me to be encouraged and enlightened. Or, it could be a chance for the truth of my efforts to be revealed under her scrutiny. Eeek!

In addition to sending her ten pages, I also have to send her a query or proposal so that she understands what is going on in my story. Did you catch that? I have to write a real query! Not a funny one, a joke one, one that says something like, “My Mom really thinks that girl from The Office would be perfect for the part of Kim”. No, I have to be sleek and professional. I have to act like a writer.

In truth, my first ten pages are as strong as I think I can make them, it’s the query that’s making me shake in my boots. Part of me thinks that her observations will be positive and perhaps minor adjustments will be made, but yet part of me thinks that she’s not going to get any of it and say, “This is the lamest thing since Everyone Poops and where did you put the vampires?”

I did think about dropping the whole thing. There is a temptation here to self-sabotage. I mean, it’s not a complete critique, right? Just a little one, and it’s not like she’s an agent who can propel my career forward, right? So why bother with the stress? If I forget about this little prize, nothing will have changed and I won’t get so stressed out about it. But then, that’s not being very brave, is it?

If I am to be a real writer, then dozens of people will look at my work with a critical eye. Cassandra just happens to be the first. If I don’t go through with this, then the first time will be put off even further. It won’t release me from my neurosis, it will just extend it. ( I refuse to compare this to a stay of execution, although it’s tempting.)

So, I have to face my fear. I have to put a query together and sent her the attachment. I have to face my firing squad. (Sorry Cassandra!)

No matter what she says, won’t the end result be that I become a better writer? Even if she slashes my poor little wip to death with her red pen of destruction, won’t it be less painful than when my professional writing professors did this in college? (And I had to PAY them!) Surely, this will be less devastating than being turned down three times for junior prom, right? And I’ve had five babies, so I know what physical pain is, and she’s not going to inflict anything like that on me, right?

Right. Here I go. Probably tonight I’m sending the whole thing to her.

Wish me luck.

Recently, in between cleaning, cooking and writing ten minutes a day, I had a chance to sit down with Juan Toobee Phamous, a career counselor, specializing in the pursuit of greatness. Mr. Phamous is a little feeble and far younger than he appears. Apparently, his job is a hard one. This is a transcript of our conversation.

Katharine: Glad you could squeeze me in, what with the post-modern generation’s obsession to be famous and all . . .

Juan: Yeah, you’ve got fifteen minutes. Get it? Fifteen minutes with me and you get fifteen minutes of fame. So, you wanna be a great writer? (eyes me suspiciously) I always ask my clients this first: what does greatness mean to you?

Katharine: You know, great.

Juan: Come on, (rolls eyes) you’re a writer, you have to define greatness in very specific terms or we’ll get nowhere. Do you want great like Ernest Hemingway great or great like John Milton great or greatness like that crazy Scandanavian writer who wrote those “the girl” books.

Katharine: What’s the difference?

Juan: I am SO going to have to put this on my website. Look, the Milton package is nearly impossible. Get over it. The Hemingway package is doable, but it requires vast amounts of whiskey and cigarettes. You don’t look the type. Sorry.

Katharine: Do you have any type of packages for stay at home mothers of five who lean toward the flowers and butterfly side of life?

Juan: Yes, but it really isn’t recommended. Writers generally are tortured souls. I mean, butterflies? Who’s going to take you seriously? We’re finding in the old models that long term greatness has no room for butterflies. But, you look like a nice lady. Look, in our old model we came up with 87 levels of greatness to offer our clients. Levels one through three are for things like writing cute little stories for your kids, a funny story in the church bulletin, you know, butterflies. Flowers.

Katharine: I want to be a little greater than that. I have a blog, see. And I’m on Twitter.

Juan: Oh please. My goldfish has three thousand followers on Twitter. Unless you’re the Pioneer Woman, you’ll only get to a level four with blogs and Twitter. Now, now. You can be greater with a little help from me. We just need to figure out which level is the best fit for you. Now, has anyone ever complemented you on your writing that was not a blood relative or a small town English teacher?

Katharine: Yes.

Juan: Level five! This isn’t so bad, now is it? Have you ever made money off your writing?

Katharine: Yes.

Juan: Level six! More than a thousand dollars?

Katharine: Yes. Level seven?

Juan: Yes. See, you are on your way! It’s my job to be extra confident and supportive, to find your perfect number and tell you how to get there. But it’s tricky, see. The hardest part of my job is convincing an obvious seventeen that he has no chance of being an eighty-five. We call them DOGS, in the office.

Katharine: Dogs?

Juan: Delusions of Grandeur Slugs. Look, I’ve got a meeting with the American Idol people in an hour. We need to speed this along. All of the levels between eighty and eighty-seven are for dieties. You are not a god.

Katharine: That’s not what I tell my children.

Juan: Rolls eyes again. Anything in the seventies is for people whose face has been imprinted on money. The sixties are for world leaders, inventors, and Nobel Peace Prize winners, oh, and Al Gore. The fifties are for your Miltons, Chaucers and writers who are either reclusive or die mysteriously.

Katharine: Okay, how about the forties? That’s it, I’ll settle for the forties

Juan: Honey, you might not have what it takes to be in the forties. That level is saved for writers who have Chicken Soup in the title or write about sparkly vampires. (Takes out iphone and pushes record button) Note to self: Query Rachelle Gardner about a Chicken Soup for the Undead Soul. (puts phone away) Look, I’ll be honest with you. You’re probably high twenties, low thirties type of greatness. And this is the thing with my clients. I show them what it takes to hit, I don’t know, say a twenty-six level of greatness and that’s what we agree to, but once they get there, it’s not enough. They want to be thirty-one. The number is more important to them than the work that they’re doing. Don’t get me started on when they find out the romance author across the street picked forty-three.

Katharine: This is complicated.

Juan: Yes. That’s why we came up with a new model. Our R&D department is re-thinking this concept of greatness. The new formula looks less and less like numbers. All that 10,000 hours stuff, that google reader stuff, not what it once was. Our 21st century greatness is far more about relationships. I have to ask you this: How did you get to be a writer anyway? Did you set out to make yourself talented? Or were you given certain skills and desires from the beginning, from somewhere else, let’s say a Grand Designer?

Katharine: I’m going with the Grand Designer answer.

Juan: Okay, if that is the case, then you have a purpose to be used by this Designer. He has a place in this world for butterflies. He’s the one in charge of your talent, you’re just the steward. I mean stewardess. I mean steward. You know what I mean.

Katharine: Okay, I think I know what you mean.

Juan: But, if you had said that all of this was you. Your skills were from you, your talent was from you. You were the beginning and the end of all of this writer-ness, then there isn’t a number high enough for you to be satisfied. It’s sad but true. Your pursuit of greatness isn’t there because you want a higher good, it’s there to stroke your own ego. And this is the thing. People who call me in the first place don’t know what they want. They think they want literary immortality, but all they want is to feel loved and live forever.

Katharine: (rolls eyes) Is that all?

Juan: Look, if you’re of the Grand Designer point of view, there’s a plan for both of those goals. And it’s simpler than you think. But if you’re not, then your pursuit of greatness, at its essence, is narcissistic and sad.

Katharine: So what’s the answer? Big Amazon sales? A platform?

Juan: (Rolls eyes again.) No. I’m talking about being a friend. You have the power of words at your disposal, right? You want to be a communicator right? Then be great in what you say and how you say it. Take truth and package it up beautifully or cleverly and give it to the world. Don’t expect something like fame in return. Look at your readers as friends and family, not at potential buyers or fans or followers on Twitter. If you follow someone on Twitter and your sole purpose is to promote your writing, which is all about truth and goodness and the glory of God, then doesn’t that make you a hypocrite? If you want to be great for the sake of greatness then you’ll never be great. This is the dirty secret of my job. If you want to be great and your definition of greatness is getting a hug from a lady at church who says, “I just really like the way you write. You are fun. You are encouraging.” Then you’re there. You just shot up in the charts. If you read aloud a chapter of your book, which by the way, isn’t guaranteed to be published, and someone is reduced to tears, wanting to restore a relationship, then you have just become great.

Katharine: Oh. But Hemingway . . .

Juan: With all due respect, a lot of high profile writers rarely lifted their readers to noble ideas. In fact, it was often the opposite. You don’t really need a greatness counselor. You just need to do this: work hard. Be excellent. Persist in the goals you’ve set for yourself. Don’t compare yourself to anyone.

Katharine: But what about an agent? A publishing contract? Sales?

Juan: If it comes, it comes. But don’t let it define greatness to you. Look, I’ve seen writers who stand up on their stack of books at Costco and say,”I’m great because of these numbers!” Yet, somehow they’re not, and they know it. It’s not very becoming. Wait. I do have this. (pulls paper out of bag) I can’t believe I forgot to mention it to you. We just got this in recently. You’re going to love it.

Katharine: What is it?

Juan: If you write a book about a predatory whale, see, and it becomes one of the most famous reads among high school English teachers everywhere, you could have a species named after you!

Katharine: (Chin drops to the floor) Now that is greatness.

Juan: (Picks up briefcase.) You know it! Let’s see Hemingway or Al Gore top that.

With that, Mr. Phamous left me to think about what he said. And then I ate some cake.

My new friend Nicole at It’s All About Writing recently awarded me with The Versatile Blogger Award! She said, Oh, and these people are being awarded (in no particular order!) because I think they are absolutely amazing writers with lots of talent, and I love getting to know more about them as we go. Oh, my. That brought tears to my eyes!

Part of this amazing honor, also comes some responsibility: I have to follow these rules:

1) Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award. — Check

2) Share seven things about yourself. — Scroll down ; )

3) Pass the award to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it. Nicole only listed seven. I’m doing seven too. She has five kids. I have five kids. She’s going to be a famous writer. Me too. See the pattern?

4) Lastly, contact all of the bloggers that you’ve picked for the award.

My seven things about myself.

1. This is kind of hard to come up with seven things that I have not already shared on Facebook or this blog. But I’m going to try. Maybe I should keep it to writerly kind of stuff. Okay . . . in seventh grade, because I was bored in one my classes, I wrote a story about a crime fighting super hero kidney bean. I created the entire town he lived in, his family and drew cartoons for all of the characters. After about a month of this nonsense, I gave the entire story away to a boy named Cory. And I think he had a crush on me.

2. While I grew out of crime fighting legumes, I have not grown out of telling stories. But few online friends know this: I LOVE to write educational curriculum too. I write the majority of the materials my children use in their homeschool and I even wrote an e-book about audio materials. ( I actually made money on this.)

3. This summer, my educational background is going to serve me because I volunteered to organize something for my church. Every summer, my congregation joins sister churches for a weekend conference in Gordon College, on the North Shore of MA. While the adults are in their sessions, Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night and Sunday morning, the children, specifically the 4-6 year olds will be with me! We’re having Cowboy Camp! I’m going to teach them camp songs, give them a Bible lesson, take them on nature hikes, have puppet shows, do crafts, have snacks and watch movies. YEE HAW! It’s going to be awesome.

4. I have never read any Harry Potter books or Twilight books. These are my reasons: I usually balk at anything that is wildly popular. I personally don’t trust the taste of the general population. Secondly, I just don’t get fantasy. Except for Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I don’t have any regrets.

5. Before I die, I want to hike all of the National Parks and take hundreds of photographs. I also despise the term “bucket list”.

6. If I had all the time in the world, I would garden, take art lessons, audition for plays and learn to cook Asian food. And write five thousand words a day, of course.

7. I have exceptionally thick blondish, reddish, light brown hair. It’s my best feature. I credit my Cherokee heritage for great hair. I refuse to get tattoos or pierce anything but my ears. Because, you know, it would take attention away from my hair.

Okay, now for the winners of this esteemed award. Nicole was instructed to pick fifteen. Like her, I’d rather forward the seven best. These are in no particular order.

Sarah Reinhard at Snoring Scholar
David Hunter at The Writer’s Den
Kristin Tennant at Halfway To Normal
Jody Hedlund
Elaine Francis Bayless
Miriam Kobras at the Mimosa Club
Catherine at The Writer’s Notebook

It is my great honor to be associate with such fine writers and friends. Go meet them. Tell them I said hello.

*The Christy award is given annually to the winners of excellence in Christian fiction. I did not win this year. Nor did I enter. Nor has my publisher nominated me. Nor do I have a publisher. Nor do I have a completed work. Someday, baby, someday.

With the objective of building an online platform, I have run into a problem. The problem is that it puts me, my brand, my name, my work, everything associated with me, into the public universe that is the internet. Part of it is awesome. I’ve met many wonderful people, I’ve learned much about writing, I’ve been supported and encouraged and I’ve grown as a person and as a writer.

But, sigh. Occasionally, something a little sinister or dark or offensive slips in around me and I have to do something about it. Recently, I’ve seen this mostly on Twitter, but I’ve also seen it on Facebook (from people I’m close to) and I’m two clicks away to find a blog that is guilty of this very thing. I’m talking about messages that are laced with hate, or if not hate, then profanity and innuendo.

People, I don’t want to be labelled as a self-righteous jumper-wearing homeschooling mom, but I’m drawing a line. I have a job to do, and it’s more important than writing the world’s greatest novel; it’s protecting my children. My children read this blog. They read my facebook feed. Sometimes they look over my shoulder when I tweet. They are young (all twelve and under) and they see things they shouldn’t. Or, at least, they see things that I believe are not right for them to see.

I can’t emphasize this enough: it is MY JOB TO PROTECT THEM. It is MY JOB TO DECIDE WHAT THEY SEE AND WHAT THEY DON’T. It is MY JOB TO KEEP THEIR MINDS, HABITS, AND VOCABULARY CLEAN. I am the gatekeeper of the influences that are around them. And believe me when I tell you, when it comes to Mama Bear tendencies, I will swipe with my ferocious claws first and ask questions later.

There will come a time when I allow more in. Today is not that day. It’s not for anyone to decide that day except me. Therefore, I’m taking a stand right here, right now. This might cost me friends and connections, but I will never back down, nor apologize for protecting my family.

My rules:

Twitter: If you use profanity, I will unfollow you. The f-bomb is a deal breaker. Half-naked avatars don’t get a chance. Innuendo is a big no-no.

Facebook: If you argue consistently your point of view, with what I think is a lack of compassion, or even a willingness to drop the subject for the sake of a relationship, I will hide you. I will also not tolerate links to explicit websites and status updates with words that should be bleeped. If you are going to put me in the awkward position of explaining your behavior to my kids, then you’re gone.

Blogs: Do whatever you want to do, but I vote with my dollars.

Now, this is what I’m ready for: backlash. Go ahead, bring it on. Yes, I know it’s a free country. But license to be rude, crass or vile stops at my front door. Inside these four walls, it’s a benevolent dictatorship. And I have a big broom.

Yes, I know this marks me as a prude. I don’t care. I’m looking at my children’s faces when I make these rules. To them, this is an indication of how much I love them. I’m so wrapped up in that, I’m completely deaf to what the world thinks. That includes you.

Yes, I understand this is the 21st century and that the rest of the world, Twitter, Facebook and My Space have all gone to Hell in a handbasket and if I want to be relevant . . . . blah, blah, blah. Relevance comes when they are adults, NOT children.

Yes (oh, am I getting tired of this) they’ll just find out about this when they’re older. So? Your point? We all lose our innocence. It’s a part of life, I understand that. But childhood is about savoring the sweetness of the mystery of life, not scrutinizing the pollution of it.

Yes, there are absolutes. I can’t make world leaders and corporate giants understand this — but I can explain absolutes to five little kids in my household. Not only do I say it to them, I show them I believe in absolutes by turning things off, possibly hurting feelings, and coming across as a harpie.

So, there’s that old saying that if we all swept off our front porches the whole world would be clean. That’s a bit simplistic. I am going to do my part. Would you please do yours?

Thank you!

Cassandra Marshall, one of my TWF’s is giving away her expertise! If you go to her blog here, and leave a comment, and you win, then she will edit your WIP for free! I really, really want to win this (since I can’t afford a real editor and I could use a little encouragement) Anyhoo, if you’ve got a somewhat completed WIP, you should try! YAY! (And follow her on Twitter – @CA_Marshall – too!)

I love Twitter.

I like to follow people who have one or more of the following words in their bio: Mom, writer, published, homeschooler, outdoors, editor, blogger, lover of Jesus, agent. If they strike me as creative or witty and have none of those words, I might follow anyway.

I avoid those with the following words in their bio: marketer, social media expert, naked, f-bomb, innovative, hard core or follow me. But then, I also don’t follow people who I think are only into selling something, only talk about their blog, are overly angry in their politics and have skulls in their avatar.

That being said, I’ve found a remarkable group of writer acquaintances on Twitter, some who are like me (writer mom) and some who are not. These followers have encouraged, challenged and entertained me. Truthfully, they surprise me quite often in their generosity, their support and their wit. I don’t know why I am so surprised, but I am.

Here are some of the lies that I believed about these people. I’m going to call them TWA’s, for Twitter Writer Acquaintances. Remember, these are lies!

I thought that if two or more of them were joking around that they were a clique and they didn’t want me. I thought that my followers who had “editor” or “agent” in their description didn’t want to converse with me at all. I thought that TWA’s who had impressive blogs, who gave the impression that they were “in the know” or were actually paid to write were out of my league and wouldn’t be interested in my lowly ramblings. I thought that TWA’s who had several books finished, some actually published, looked down on me as one of the unpublished masses. I thought that one TWA, who had the phrase “afoot” in her bio was British. (She lives in California). I thought that one TWA, who was so polished wasn’t even a real person. Then she invited her followers to friend her Facebook. This was a very big surprise: Not only did she friend me back, but I saw her wedding photos. She’s a real person! She even said she was glad I friended her, that I was one of her favorite followers. I thought all of my TWA’s wrote twenty hours a day, had perfect children and never had to cook, clean house or deal with difficult relatives.

None of those things were true. A conversation is just that, a conversation. I’ve been welcomed every time I wanted to say something. The editors and agents I’m chatting with are busy, but are also friendly. Those writers with the fancy schmancy blogs now subscribe to this one. Those writers who have several books started somewhere, carving out bits of time just like I’m doing. They are ALL real people. No one writes twenty hours a day, they either clean when they can or have messy houses. And they’ll happily admit that no one they are related to is perfect.

My group of TWA’s are really becoming TWF’s. Twitter Writer Friends. Even though they vary greatly in their experience, skills, genres, writer income and habits. They are far more accepting, more encouraging, more supportive and more real than I could have ever imagined. They have encouraged me to be a better writer. They want me to succeed.

I’m far more confident, not only as Twitter-er, but also as a writer because of this group. I don’t know what the future holds, but if it should bring me successful queries, a good proposal, signing with an agent, a publisher’s contract, and readers, then I’m confident that this group of friends would cheer me on.

It feels really good to be here. It feels good to be in a group that treats me with kindness.

These tweeps are my friends. I am so happy that is the truth.

Please follow: @TheWritersDen @atsirkdeer @jillybug @goodgirlgonered @Flossyadam @beck_a_tron @bego @peerybingle @jenluit @WendySparrow @MardouLedger @SusanneBarrett @pookasluagh @shellihowells @readmistyevans @SPCWriter @LoreeALough @evictoriaflynn @bbetty @One4TheBooks @gamesafoot @NettieWriter @MariamMKobras @MaryDeMuth @alta03 @RoniGriffin @elizabethesther @elainefbayless @KarinKath @CA_Marshall @kt_writes @EisleyJacobs @RebeccaYAwriter @JodyHedlund @charitybradford @srgruber @Eglentyne @simplywriting @madeinlowell @janesteen

Back when I was not a mother and I temped for a living, I lugged around a big spiral notebook so that I could write. I didn’t have a specific project, but I wanted to use my down time to become a better writer. (This was ’96-’97, LONG before I had my iphone, Twitter and all that.) One day, I wrote down one hundred scene settings. I did this to have a reference for future projects. This was a great exercise. My niece, Erin, the up-and-coming writer, wanted a copy, so I thought I’d put it here for all to see.

Use these as you wish. Add more. Get inspired.

1. Space Shuttle 2. Kindergarten classroom 3. Sixth grade classroom 4. High school classroom
5. Emergency clinic 6. Lawyer’s office 7. Convenience store 8. Bar
9. Formal Restaurant 10. McDonald’s 11. Your mother’s kitchen 12. Furniture store
13. Church 14. Psychiatrist’s office 15. Southern Plantation 16. Pastor’s office
17. Factory 18. Historical Site 19. Government Office 20. Talk Show
21. Game Show 22. Carnival 23. Cruise ship 24. Hawaiian Resort
25. Ski Lodge 26. Newsstand 27. Taxicab 28. Handsom Cab
29. Jewelry Store 30. Grocery Store 31. National Park 32. Mt. Everest
33. Spanish Bullfight 34. Parisian Coffee Shop 35. Pro football game 36. Band practice
37. Cooking school 38. Auto body shop 39. Old Western town 40. Laboratory
41. Mall 42. Haunted House 43. Log cabin 44. Army base
45. Off shore oil rig 46. Life raft 47. Honky-tonk 48. New Year’s Eve Party
49. Romantic dinner 50. Parade 51. Afternoon tea 52. Canoe on a lake
53. Cookout 54. Commercial airline 55. Cemetery 56. Beauty Salon
57. Barnyard 58. Movie theatre 59. Chinese restaurant 60. Library
61. Art Museum 62. Rainforest 63. Desert 64. Employment Office
65. Bank 66. Saloon 67. Toll booth 68. Royal Palace 69. Laundramat
70. Phone booth 71. Santa’s workshop 72. Ad agency 73. Wall Street brokerage
74. Diner 75. Feed store 76. Hollywood studio 77. Subway
78. Coffee shop 79. Chiropractor’s office 80. Corporate mailroom 81. Symphony Hall
82. Whale watch 83. Maternity ward 84. Wedding Boutique 85. Funeral Home
86. Square dance 87. Group Therapy Session 88. Roller coaster 89. Picnic
90. Hot air balloon 91. High School prom 92. Racetrack 93. Drive in movie
94. Skating rink 95. Cave 96. Swimming pool 97. Country club
98. Tennis court 99. Bowling alley 100. High rise construction

Sophia Michelle, Emma Faith, and Melody Jane!!

Thank you everyone who put in their suggestions, who voted and who are still waiting around for some type of closure. Now we need to choose one. Only one. My poor POV character Suzanne has been pregnant for over three years and we can’t torture her by giving her triplets.

In the comments below, leave only one name suggestion. Polls will remain open until 6 PM EST, Thursday, June 10, 2010.

Please choose one. Only one. One.

Thanks!