How many times have you read your novel-in-progress from start to finish? Can you read your novel without wanting to change every other sentence you read?
I have a hard time with this! I've read individual chapters...oh, I would say about 100+ times and I've read the complete manuscript four times. It's time to read my novel again and today is that day.
It's a rainy, grey morning in West Virginia. A perfect day for writing and reading; tomorrow promises to be as gloomy a day as today. Strange, right? Well, I always write well and am able to stay in my seat longer when the weather is nasty outside. I figure no one is doing anything fun outside, so I'm not missing anything!
The temperature outside is right around 66*, so I feel cozy and warm inside with my sweats, sweater, socks and fuzzy boots--my favorite writing outfit. Actually, that's my favorite Fall outfit when I'm home! I've made necessary phone calls, emailed two friends and yes, I checked Facebook. I have a personal FB page and an author page which I keep up-to-date. I even tweeted a few lines to keep current and refer readers back to my blog. All necessary!
This morning, I've decided to read the novel-length manuscript of my historical novel, A Decent Woman, like a new reader would. I'm putting all markers, pens and pencils away and I'm turning off the cell phone. I will make a pot of tea, draw the curtains closed and sit on my couch with my fuzzy blue blanket over me to read my full manuscript...before I make any changes. That's a tough call for me at this point in the life of my book. I immediately see things that I could reword, improve on and explain more clearly! Argh! But, I'm holding back this morning.
I've hired the editor, done the rewrites and then, rewrote some more. I've taken out chapters that weren't helping with story momentum and fleshed out my protagonist even more. I've done all I can humanly do at this point, so all that's left is to reread my story from beginning to end.
Stay warm out there! I'm headed to 1900 Ponce, Puerto Rico in my mind and mind's eye...see ya on the flip side :-)
Ellie
Showing posts with label women's fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's fiction. Show all posts
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
A Slice of Historical Fiction and a Dash of Confusion
The first question my new friend asked me when I told him I wrote an historical novel was "What years does it cover?" I answered that the novel begins in 1901 and ends in 1940. "A family saga after the Spanish American War."
I made a face. "Kinda, but not really."
"Who was the decent woman? Anyone famous or historical? You've named your novel, A Decent Woman."
"I guess you could say that it's a family saga," I said, "but, it's not a saga about one family. My novel is about the lives of two women during this time period and how their lives intersected, deviated and came together at the end."
My friend looked confused. I shared that Ana, my protagonist, was my grandmother's midwife, comadre, and the character of Serafina is based on my Puerto Rican grandmother.
"So, your main character isn't anyone famous, but you include Puerto Rican history. Did you include Hurricane San Ciriaco? That happened around that time." It was clear to me that he wanted to stay focused on dates in history.
"Hurricane San Ciriaco hit in 1900. My story begins in 1901. I investigated, researched, but I wrote about two women's lives."
"This is historical fiction? I thought historical fiction had to be about a real person and real events." Had I written an historical fiction novel or not? Was this a women from Venus and men from Mars conversation?
My friend is quite a history buff and is well-versed on the wars to include the Spanish- American War. We have great conversations about history, but he's not as well-versed on the history of Puerto Rico. He wants to learn about the history of the island, but didn't seem as interested in how my characters maneuvered life during that time in history which is what interested me in writing the novel in the first place!
"So, you kept to real dates in Puerto Rican history?"
I nodded. "Yep. I've included the hurricanes and tropical storms of that time frame and even included the earthquake that hit Ponce, the town where my story takes place. I'm accurate with women's daily lives--how they lived, loved and died at that time. I researched quite a bit, but I've always had a feeling that my novel and characters were set in history rather than an historical fiction novel based on a real person in history. It's the story of two women."
"Well, it sounds like women's fiction to me," he said. My friend seemed confused and I felt as though we were destined to agree to disagree.
"I read more non-fiction than fiction," he admitted. "But, I am curious how you marry the two." He returned my smile.
I read novels for entertainment and I love historical fiction. But honestly, I don't want a history lesson when I read. I want to be entertained and swept away by events that the characters find themselves in. History by osmosis, perhaps. I'm a people person. I love novels about people and how they maneuver situations and life's challenges. My novel, A Decent Woman, is the story of an Afro-Cuban woman and a Puerto Rican woman who forge a fierce friendship despite differing racial, social and economic situations of the early 1900's. My novel is about how Ana and Serafina lived, thrived and overcame personal challenges while discovering who they were and what they were made of in a tumultuous slice of time of Puerto Rican history. A slice of time. I like that phrase.
I also like the description--a novel set in history rather than an historical novel. That works for me. I wrote a fiction novel that I hope will be as entertaining as it is historically educational in the literary sense of the word.
I'm okay with that.
Peace and love,
Ellie
I made a face. "Kinda, but not really."
"Who was the decent woman? Anyone famous or historical? You've named your novel, A Decent Woman."
"I guess you could say that it's a family saga," I said, "but, it's not a saga about one family. My novel is about the lives of two women during this time period and how their lives intersected, deviated and came together at the end."
My friend looked confused. I shared that Ana, my protagonist, was my grandmother's midwife, comadre, and the character of Serafina is based on my Puerto Rican grandmother.
"So, your main character isn't anyone famous, but you include Puerto Rican history. Did you include Hurricane San Ciriaco? That happened around that time." It was clear to me that he wanted to stay focused on dates in history.
"Hurricane San Ciriaco hit in 1900. My story begins in 1901. I investigated, researched, but I wrote about two women's lives."
"This is historical fiction? I thought historical fiction had to be about a real person and real events." Had I written an historical fiction novel or not? Was this a women from Venus and men from Mars conversation?
My friend is quite a history buff and is well-versed on the wars to include the Spanish- American War. We have great conversations about history, but he's not as well-versed on the history of Puerto Rico. He wants to learn about the history of the island, but didn't seem as interested in how my characters maneuvered life during that time in history which is what interested me in writing the novel in the first place!
"So, you kept to real dates in Puerto Rican history?"
I nodded. "Yep. I've included the hurricanes and tropical storms of that time frame and even included the earthquake that hit Ponce, the town where my story takes place. I'm accurate with women's daily lives--how they lived, loved and died at that time. I researched quite a bit, but I've always had a feeling that my novel and characters were set in history rather than an historical fiction novel based on a real person in history. It's the story of two women."
"Well, it sounds like women's fiction to me," he said. My friend seemed confused and I felt as though we were destined to agree to disagree.
"I read more non-fiction than fiction," he admitted. "But, I am curious how you marry the two." He returned my smile.
I read novels for entertainment and I love historical fiction. But honestly, I don't want a history lesson when I read. I want to be entertained and swept away by events that the characters find themselves in. History by osmosis, perhaps. I'm a people person. I love novels about people and how they maneuver situations and life's challenges. My novel, A Decent Woman, is the story of an Afro-Cuban woman and a Puerto Rican woman who forge a fierce friendship despite differing racial, social and economic situations of the early 1900's. My novel is about how Ana and Serafina lived, thrived and overcame personal challenges while discovering who they were and what they were made of in a tumultuous slice of time of Puerto Rican history. A slice of time. I like that phrase.
I also like the description--a novel set in history rather than an historical novel. That works for me. I wrote a fiction novel that I hope will be as entertaining as it is historically educational in the literary sense of the word.
I'm okay with that.
Peace and love,
Ellie
Friday, May 24, 2013
Why We Write What We Write
Last month, a girlfriend dropped off a book for me to read during my travels--Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining by Judy Sheindlin as in Judge Judy Sheindlin. Fantastic title for her book of nonfiction! I'm not a huge Judge Judy fan, but when I've caught her show, I've laughed at her astute observations and raised an eyebrow at her sharp tongue that often spews out acidic comments at the people who walk into her court room. Can we say reality check? It's tough to get one over on Judge Judy, the epitome of reality, rules, and laws. I think Judge Judy is awesome and the book is on my stack of books to read this summer.
Can we imagine Judge Judy writing a romance novel or a YA novel? Hard to imagine, right? Well, Judy Sheindlin is a mother of five. If anyone knows the heart and mind of a child, teenager and young adult, it would be her. In her acknowledgment page she writes, "My husband, Jerry, is the excitement in my life and my friend. I love him so much, I married him twice." That's romantic, right? Beautiful. Don't judge a book by its cover...
Do you worry that you write in too many genres and won't be taken seriously in any genre because you're scattered here and there? There are many facets to each of us and it's no surprise to me that authors write in many genres. Some writers and authors KNOW where they belong and are headed; they remain in one specific genre all their writing life. Good for them! Some kids know they'll be a dentist or a lawyer when they grow up and voila, it comes to pass. Some kids like me, however, were/are creative. I didn't like being in a box, being labeled or being put into a box. I still don't. It takes all kinds...
I've written an historical novel, A Decent Woman, that deals with women's issues in 1900 Puerto Rico mixed with murder, Santeria, spiritism, death and lies. My second novel, Finding Gracia, which I'm writing now, falls into the historical genre, as well. The second book is a coming of age, love story mixed with history, mystery, mysticism and a little of the paranormal. I have a murder mystery series in mind and I've dipped my toes in YA fiction. I also write poetry, lots of poetry with symbolism, fantasy and the metaphysical. That's a lot of genres, right? Sometimes, it's difficult to stick to ONE genre as we write and I would venture to say that most authors and writers have dabbled in other genres or write with a nom de plume.
However, there is one common denominator in my books and ideas that you may have picked up on - the mystery of the unknown and the metaphysical. Why? I'll tell you why.
Like Judge Judy must be described, I've been described by friends and family as a realist. A no-nonsense woman who asks the hard questions. If you ask me a question and want the truth, ask me, I'll tell you what I think. If you don't want to truth, I won't bring it up. I've worked as a counselor, a refugee case worker, a residential treatment center staff member for kids 13-21, and up until two years ago, I worked as a bilingual family support worker in the DC area. My main resume might tell you that I'm an advocate for children and women, that I'm socially conscious, liberal, compassionate, empathic, and that I must be tough and thick-skinned. You'd be right, but never as tough as Judge Judy!
The other sides to me are my spiritual, religious, and mystical sides. My other resume shows that I've worked in the piscines, the baths of the Sanctuary of Notre Dame de Lourdes in Lourdes, France for over 13 years. I've led pilgrimages to the Sanctuaire and it is my favorite place in the world. I'm also a Reiki Master/practitioner, trained in Belgium and in the UK. Surprised? I joke that my realism comes from my New England roots and my spiritual and mystical side comes from my Puerto Rican roots. True enough and my family is Catholic on both sides. Plenty of mysticism in the Catholic Church and in Puerto Rico.
I had a Reiki practice in Belgium and today, I work on family and friends when I'm asked. Next week, I'm interviewing for a freelance job as a Reiki practitioner for a hair salon/spa in my area. Last year, I wrote a blog called Practical Spirituality 365 where I wrote a blog a day about spiritual and religious issues. So you see, it's not far-fetched for me to write with these themes in mind, they resonate with me. I've lived them.
My life experiences prepared me to write the books I write. As I look back, my life experiences were my education, my tuition. The 'good' and 'bad' experiences have made me who I am today and they've made me the writer I am. No one can tell my story but me.
My advice to you? Just write. Write what you know and are passionate about. Don't get bogged down with genres and worrying about which 'box' you fit in as you write. Just get the words down and worry about that later!
Peace and love,
Ellie
Monday, March 11, 2013
Synopsis and Future Book Cover?
I wrote about how I came up with my characters, Ana and Serafina, and although I added a bit at the end about what the novel is loosely about, it doesn't give a reader a sense of the book. I learned the hard way here, folks!
This morning, I offer you the synopsis of my novel as it appears in my query letter to potential agents:
In the male-driven society of 1900 Puerto Rico, women compete against each other for protection, respectability and economic support for themselves and their children. Ana, an Afro-Cuban midwife navigates poverty, racism, machismo and male doctors in a changing medical world. She is known as a “formidable and decent woman”, a caring and experienced midwife, but getting emotionally close to people is both Ana’s strength and vulnerability because of a secret that followed her from Cuba.
My 85,950-word historical novel, A Decent Woman, is the story of the friendship between the midwife Ana and Serafina, a high-spirited young woman who marries into Ponce high society. Despite differences in race and their places in society, the women forge a life-long friendship that will take them to the brink of insanity and the edge of death. Betrayal and resilience are common themes in my protagonist's lives and conflicts arise as the women are forced to look at the idea and definitions of decency that will threaten Ana's old secret as a new secret is born.
Creole in a Red Turban, was painted by Jacques Guillaume Lucien Aman, 1801-1888. The interesting part to me is that when I began writing my novel in 2006, I described my heroine Ana as wearing a white turban and an off-the-shoulder white blouse. I found the painting on a Google Image search just last week. It's as if the lovely woman was waiting for me to find her and because of her, I'm inspired to paint a portrait of my heroine Ana for my book cover when I'm picked up by an agent and the book is published :) Yes, I can dream!
Ellie
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Turner Classic Movies, Here I Come!
I also wondered why a woman who loves romance and love as much as I do, doesn't enjoy reading romance novels? Strange, I know.
Personally, I hope I have a happy ending because I'm a very romantic woman! My novel, A Decent Woman, could have two endings - a happy ending and a not so happy ending, depending on how you look at it and how you view life. I leave that up to my reader. We all come away with what we come away with by the lenses with which we view life. Like art, literature is subjective.
I find it interesting that I adore great romance novels and classic films like When Harry Met Sally, Anna Karenina, An Affair to Remember, Amelie, Like Water for Chocolate, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Under The Tuscan Sun, Gone with the Wind, You've Got Mail, Casablanca, The African Queen, The Philadelphia Story, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Tess, A Room with a View, Shirley Valentine, Eat, Pray, Love, and Mansfield Park, to name a few, but I don't enjoy reading romance novels. Strange. I don't know why that is. I enjoy reading chick lit, however, if it's witty, real-life and well-written. I suppose I want love, angst, longing and drama along with a believable, realistic ending. The Holiday, Chocolat, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Love, Actually, Something's Gotta Give, Tristan & Isolde and Bridgit Jones's Diary are other films I love and can watch over and over.
Maybe I shy away from reading romance novels because I'm too much of a realist. A happy ending every single time? That would get old, wouldn't it? If you already know the ending, why bother and I have very little time to read while I'm writing my novels. I want to read a taut, witty and intelligent story set in an exotic country or a city and time period I know nothing about. Let's face it, not everyone has the happy ending all nicely tied up like a box of chocolates and a spray of Chanel perfume. But then again, in this economy where people are suffering financially, losing jobs, their homes and livelihoods, maybe a little romance is a good thing.
Any suggestions on a great romance film or romance novel? I just realized that my list included 27 titles and I wasn't even finished :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
Friday, March 1, 2013
Thoughts on Divas and Egos
I get nostalgic when I'm sick which is probably why I wrote yesterday's blog post. I always miss my mom and grandmother and much more when I'm sick. I remember their arsenal of home remedies that worked along with many warm hugs and kisses. There's nothing like Mommy Love and Vicks Vapo Rub - my mother's cure all!
I believe nostalgia found its way into my heart yesterday because I'd also been working on a chapter in my novel, A Decent Woman, where my protagonist, Ana cares for her best friend Isabel who is dying from tuberculosis. Women taking care of other women and in the process, healing themselves. When women help other women, they are never more beautiful in my eyes.
Before I entered the writing life and world, I was (and still am) a working artist. I'm a multi-media artist/photographer who has painted and exhibited for over 25 years in the US and in Europe. I wasn't a newbie to interacting with creative people when I wrote my first novel, A Decent Woman. At the time, most of my close friends were artists, poets, photographers and dancers, and one self-published author who was very kind and generous with me as I wrote my novel.
The art world, much like the publishing world, is a tough, unforgiving and complicated business. Art societies, guilds and groups can be rife with big egos, petty arguments and jealousy. I've seen it first-hand - artists and divas who complained when they weren't given the best wall for an exhibition, the best lighting was on another artist's pieces, artists who made catty comments about whose name was ahead of whose in the programs, and snide comparisons about their fellow artists. I helped organized several exhibits and I think my gray hairs came in right about that time. Any time you have big Egos involved, there are bound to be issues and conflict. A little Ego is healthy, but there's a delicate balance. Too much Ego can go toxic.
For years, I was on the board of our local art group and I was able to escape scrutiny (I think!) and didn't participate in the pettiness, there was enough around me. Consequently, the diva's pieces were highlighted because they made the loudest noise. The divas, male and female, were tough to work with at times and I eventually left the board position to give painting classes and facilitate creativity workshops to help others find their passions in life. Yes, it took me away from painting and photography, I'd say. What's two days a month in the scheme of life? Being a mentor and helping others helped me.
I hate to admit it, but it's true - when I entered the writing world, I had the preconceived notion that writers would be as closed, jealous and petty as some of the artists I'd encountered in my past. I was the little girl looking through the fence into the playground where the bigger kids played and ran around. I remained a writer/observer for a long time.
I observed for five years by blogging semi-anonymously (that's another story!) on another site before I began this blog about the writing life, my life and my novel. I read other authors, read their blogs and studied their websites, Facebook and Twitter pages. As with art, I found self-promotion off-putting and uncomfortable, but it had to be done. I wondered if I would have to scream the loudest to be published? I joined groups, writing critique groups, subscribed to author's blogs, joined a foundling group of writers who write women's fiction and joined Goodreads. I love reading reviews by women authors about other women author's books and enjoy catching up with blog tours when I see them advertised.
In the process of watching from the sidelines as a newbie, I discovered a beautiful thing -
Women WERE helping other women. Women ARE helping other women in the writing world.
I've made friends with debut and established women writers, marketers, editors and have had the occasional agent take the time to write me a personal note. That speaks volumes to me, we're all busy. But, the main 'thing' is to write, right? Again, it's a delicate balance and I believe I've found a nice balance. I blog first thing in the morning, followed by reading and making comments on other writer's blog posts. I check my emails and two Facebook pages, write a few lines for Twitter and then, it's full on writing for the rest of the day. It works for me.
It warmed my heart to learn I was mistaken about writers and I'm happy to be a part of the writing world. As for my painting, two years ago I joined an artist's cooperative group in West Virginia and so far, the Egos are in check...so far :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Women's Fiction - Count Me In!
"I hope I don't end up as a professional blogger," I said to my friend, a fellow writer and published author, in a telephone conversation during a recent winter storm watch. My friend assured me that I wouldn't end up blogging at 90. She told me to remain patient, encouraged me to keep writing and querying agents. I promised that I would do all that and before we hung up, we wished each other well on our writing careers.
Actually, I wouldn't mind blogging well past my 90's. I love writing and telling stories. I hope I do just that as it might mean that my brain cells are still active and fruitful! I just pray that I'm not a 90 year old woman blogging about dating. Lord help me. But then again, that might be kinda cool! In my mind's eye, I see my daughter smiling at my future blogs and novels about dating in the retirement home, secretly hoping her young children don't read them and my son is rolling his eyes, thinking, "There she goes sharing again."
Note to Self: Give the kids my blogging password so that they can monitor my blogs in my golden years and beyond.
"Live long enough to be a burden to your children." I don't know who said that, but it always cracks me up. I plan on writing until I'm no longer able to type and that's why I'm saving my old cassette recorder and still buy packs of cassettes. My children won't be able to keep me quiet and I don't plan on going quietly into that good night! I don't know who said that either, but I feel I should know that...
Anyway, I've read that fiction protagonists and antagonists share many of the ideals, dreams and personality traits of the writer as well as the negative parts of their heroines and heroes. We write the story, so that has to be true. My novel has two protagonists, two women. My main character never marries and has no living children. The other woman marries and has three children. These two women really are one woman - me and they also share bits and pieces of women I've known and stories women have told me which to me means that our characters represent all women. I could take that further. I have male characters in my novel, as well. Those characters are composites of men I've known with positive and negative characteristics. So, my story becomes a story of people, but I've chosen no male points of view (POV) for my debut novel-length manuscript.
Why? I didn't start out writing my novel with that in mind. No men. Nope, I had individual chapters written from the POV of my three male characters. The comment I received from my editor and two friends who read the manuscript was the same - the story is stronger without male POV. I had to agree. I removed one such chapter and rewrote others. It was the right thing to do for this story.
I believe my characters, Ana and Serafina, chose me to tell their stories. I chose these characters to tell my story. We've all danced, cried, and dreamed with our girlfriends and my story is no different. It's about the life-long friendship of two strong women and the challenges women faced (individually and collectively) living in the male-driven society of Puerto Rico in the 1900's.
Women's fiction. Count me in.
Peace and love,
Ellie
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Promise Me...
I opened the windows this morning and turned off the heat, hoping that the beautiful breeze coming through the windows would clear my house of any nasty winter bugs in the air. The house is clean and the air smells fresher. I needed this day to regroup and fill my wells, emotional and mental.
Earlier this month, I sent out three query letters and received two positive replies from two agents. I was thrilled and gladly sent them the first three chapters. It's been a scary month, waiting for replies from the agents; to say that I checked my emails a dozen times a day wouldn't be a lie.
In the meantime, I kept editing and rewriting my manuscript and managed to finish three fantastic books on writing that have permanent places on my writing shelves, The Scene Book - A Primer for the Fiction Writer by Sandra Scofield, The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner and The Writer's Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D. If you haven't read these books, find them! I learned so much and with Scofield's advice and tips, I've rewritten many paragraphs that now read more polished and professional.
The books helped me remain calm, well, calmer during the waiting period. Over the weekend, I received a very nice email from one of the agents telling me that she enjoyed reading my chapters, likes my writing style, but unfortunately the market isn't kind to historical novels. They're hard to sell. Well, I think my novel fits perfectly in women's fiction, as well. Yes, the story begins in the 1900's, but the issues, challenges and themes of the women at that time aren't that much different from what women face today.
I wrote the agent back, thanking her for her time and for considering my novel. Although I was a bit bummed out, I also realized that I'd only sent three queries with two replies. Not bad, Ellie, I told myself. In 2006 I finished writing the novel and sent out 100 query letters and received eight positive replies from agents. My story hits a nerve and it's interesting, exotic and different. The consensus from the agents was that I had two stories in one. They recommended that I split the story and I was about to when my life turned upside down with a separation after a 25 year marriage. The story remained in a box until earlier this year.
So, I'm okay. I'm proud of my story and the story it has become with a long year of rewrites and a wonderful editor's help. I've dusted myself off and vow to send as many query letters as I can this week. Did I hope that God and the stars would have taken pity on me and said, "She's paid her dues. It's her time now"? Yes, I did :) Hey, I'm human!
But, instead of sweating it, I decided to continue to enjoy, caress, love and make my story the best story I can write. I decided (because it makes me feel better) that the market may be into chick lit and present day stories at the moment, possibly because this economy has many of us stressing out about money, jobs and we need light reading. Maybe historical novels or novels set in the 1900's require a certain type of reader, audience and agent. Could be. But, I'm not giving up, not by a long shot.
I'm not going to flail around and tread water during this time and I'm not going to sink like a rock, either! Time has shown me that I'm a fighter and a survivor. A marital separation, a trans-Atlantic move, losing my house, and divorce didn't do me in and this won't either. I'll find the right agent who loves and believes in my story as much as I do. Could someone please help the economy!
I prefer to look at this time as a gift because every time I turn around, I'm learning more and more about writing and the writing life. I don't remember who said it, but several authors have written that I need to enjoy the time before publication and new challenges come up with selling books and keeping readers reading my book. I'll never be a virgin again :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
Thursday, November 15, 2012
How NOT to Write a Novel
Hi Mama! What? I'm sorry, were you working here? I was cold and this thing is so nice and toasty :)
The Writer's Life in Winter
Hi all,
Despite having the heat on and the small heater in my bedroom on HIGH, it was cold this morning! I grabbed my old, gray cashmere robe with the holes in it (moths?), put on thick socks and my black yoga pants (I don't DO yoga), and slipped into my fake black Uggs before coming downstairs. This is my favorite winter writing outfit. It was even colder downstairs in the kitchen! Wooeeee!
Note to self: buy another space heater for the kitchen.
I let the Puglet out from the kitchen door and he turned back at me like I'd told him to walk the plank off a ship into freezing waters! "Be a man, Ozzy. Get out there and do your business!" I told him and had to shut the kitchen door or he would have run back inside. Eventually, he sniffed around and did his business on my nearly frozen hydrangea bushes. Nice. I'll have to remember to wear gardening gloves next Spring. I could hear him say, "There, happy now?" He did look a little smug when he ran inside.
Winter is the perfect time of year to write if you tend to hibernate like me in the winter months. There is no gardening to be done in my yard although I could put those bulbs in the ground that have been sitting in my gardening shed for a year already. Nah. Too cold already! My grapevine doesn't get pruned until March, so I live indoors now.
I either write downstairs on the dining room table with the view of my garden or upstairs in my bedroom. I can choose between my comfy, warm bed or the huge banker's desk that sits against the wall if I go upstairs. Nice to have choices :) All my writing books are in a bookcase in my bedroom, as well. My dictionaries, Thesauraus, books on plot, character development, POV, the latest Writer's Digest, and then some. I make a pot of tea or coffee and I'm set for the day.
To be a writer means playing alone in your head for hours upon hours a day. It's nuts really, so you may as well be comfortable, warm and happy going nuts.
I usually begin writing and editing downstairs and as the day progresses, I move upstairs because the TV is close to the dining room and I can easily switch it on out of habit. Too many distractions with the History channel, the Food Network, Bravo TV, NatGeo, SyFy shows and I am addicted to the Housewives shows! All of them. I know, I know, don't ask!
Do you have a favorite place or time to write? What's your favorite writing outfit? Have a nice day :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
Despite having the heat on and the small heater in my bedroom on HIGH, it was cold this morning! I grabbed my old, gray cashmere robe with the holes in it (moths?), put on thick socks and my black yoga pants (I don't DO yoga), and slipped into my fake black Uggs before coming downstairs. This is my favorite winter writing outfit. It was even colder downstairs in the kitchen! Wooeeee!
Note to self: buy another space heater for the kitchen.
I let the Puglet out from the kitchen door and he turned back at me like I'd told him to walk the plank off a ship into freezing waters! "Be a man, Ozzy. Get out there and do your business!" I told him and had to shut the kitchen door or he would have run back inside. Eventually, he sniffed around and did his business on my nearly frozen hydrangea bushes. Nice. I'll have to remember to wear gardening gloves next Spring. I could hear him say, "There, happy now?" He did look a little smug when he ran inside.
Winter is the perfect time of year to write if you tend to hibernate like me in the winter months. There is no gardening to be done in my yard although I could put those bulbs in the ground that have been sitting in my gardening shed for a year already. Nah. Too cold already! My grapevine doesn't get pruned until March, so I live indoors now.
I either write downstairs on the dining room table with the view of my garden or upstairs in my bedroom. I can choose between my comfy, warm bed or the huge banker's desk that sits against the wall if I go upstairs. Nice to have choices :) All my writing books are in a bookcase in my bedroom, as well. My dictionaries, Thesauraus, books on plot, character development, POV, the latest Writer's Digest, and then some. I make a pot of tea or coffee and I'm set for the day.
To be a writer means playing alone in your head for hours upon hours a day. It's nuts really, so you may as well be comfortable, warm and happy going nuts.
I usually begin writing and editing downstairs and as the day progresses, I move upstairs because the TV is close to the dining room and I can easily switch it on out of habit. Too many distractions with the History channel, the Food Network, Bravo TV, NatGeo, SyFy shows and I am addicted to the Housewives shows! All of them. I know, I know, don't ask!
Do you have a favorite place or time to write? What's your favorite writing outfit? Have a nice day :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Thank you, Julia!
Hi all,
I had a very productive day yesterday with the manuscript despite worrying that my author blog was already too personal. I've blogged since 2007 (on Thoughts.com) and was told on many occasions that my forte was being up close and personal. I wasn't so sure I should be as personal on my new author blog, so late last night, I decided to take a little tour of other author's blogs before bed.
Many of the blogs I visited are personal in nature and some even add photos of their children, furry children and families. These authors post a blog a day (which I'm used to doing) and it turns out, they treat their blogs like diaries or journals. I can do that! Now, you might not enjoy what I post, but that's another kettle of fish :)
Writing comes easy to me. Words and ideas in a blog come out in stream of consciousness style and I rarely go back and edit what I've written (unlike my novel and short stories). In addition to a love of writing, I think this comes from being a devotee from way, way back of Julia Cameron and her seminal book, "The Artist's Way".
Per Cameron's advice, I dutifully wrote my Morning Pages in beautifully-bound journals in longhand for over ten years. (I had special fountain pens in all colors for my journals. There's just something magical about a fountain pen, especially a Mont Blanc fountain pen.)
My father's new wife gave me the book, "The Artist's Way" in 2000 as a Christmas present and I "did" the book alone for a solid year. The next year, I invited ten women to join me once a month. One group turned into three and ten years later, the second group is still meeting in Brussels, Belgium. That makes me very happy!
Cameron taught me to write and push through writer's block, fear, distractions and the excuses. I kept writing even if I started writing out a list of what I needed at the grocery store, my list of things to do and/or a scathing rant (very healing!). Just keep writing, she encouraged me, and I trusted her. Working with "The Artist's Way" was very cathartic and healing for me when I finished. The experiences truly changed my life and I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true for me.
I love what Cameron says about journaling and truth (and I'm paraphrasing here) - start writing and keep writing anything that comes to mind. Right smack in the middle of your three pages (or a bit later for me), you will find that your "truth" comes out. That thing that has bugged you, kept you awake, that fear, the dread or the reason you're blocked, comes out. As she says, you can't lie to yourself when you journal. She's absolutely right.
When I returned to the US as a newly separated, single Mom to two college-age kids in 2006, my son introduced me to blogging. Very soon afterward, journaling turned into blogging and I never looked back. I blogged anonymously for four years and very soon, I was emailing with fellow bloggers on that site; ones that I had a lot in common with. On occasion, I still wrote my Morning Pages in long-hand because I'm a Virgo and a stickler to being a purist when I can be :) But, that soon fell by the wayside as I began to interact with fellow bloggers. It opened a whole new world for me.
I went on to meet five bloggers who I count as very dear friends today and I keep in touch with all of them to include the women in my "The Artist's Way" groups. Some of these women still live in Brussels and some returned to the US after I did. These women have been my sounding boards, my shoulder to lean on and cry with, and we've taken turns being mentors and students for one another. A creative group is so important for creative people!
Blogging as a writer/author, however, is a totally different beast, I've found. Authors review other author's books, there are contests for free books, blog tours, Holiday give-aways and ways to market your book. So, I'm learning new things every day.
I highly recommend blogging and as I look back, it can change your life as it did mine. Blogging kept me sane and writing during the time that I was working full-time and going to school part-time and didn't have the time or emotional energy to pull my manuscript out of the Belgian packing box. Blogging was my daily exercise, my drug and helped me remain sane through my separation and divorce. I found a wonderful support group of men and women through blogging around that period of my life. Yep, I highly recommend it and if you know me, you know I've recommended it to you :)
Good luck to you and happy writing!
Peace and love,
Ellie
I had a very productive day yesterday with the manuscript despite worrying that my author blog was already too personal. I've blogged since 2007 (on Thoughts.com) and was told on many occasions that my forte was being up close and personal. I wasn't so sure I should be as personal on my new author blog, so late last night, I decided to take a little tour of other author's blogs before bed.
Many of the blogs I visited are personal in nature and some even add photos of their children, furry children and families. These authors post a blog a day (which I'm used to doing) and it turns out, they treat their blogs like diaries or journals. I can do that! Now, you might not enjoy what I post, but that's another kettle of fish :)
Writing comes easy to me. Words and ideas in a blog come out in stream of consciousness style and I rarely go back and edit what I've written (unlike my novel and short stories). In addition to a love of writing, I think this comes from being a devotee from way, way back of Julia Cameron and her seminal book, "The Artist's Way".
Per Cameron's advice, I dutifully wrote my Morning Pages in beautifully-bound journals in longhand for over ten years. (I had special fountain pens in all colors for my journals. There's just something magical about a fountain pen, especially a Mont Blanc fountain pen.)
My father's new wife gave me the book, "The Artist's Way" in 2000 as a Christmas present and I "did" the book alone for a solid year. The next year, I invited ten women to join me once a month. One group turned into three and ten years later, the second group is still meeting in Brussels, Belgium. That makes me very happy!
Cameron taught me to write and push through writer's block, fear, distractions and the excuses. I kept writing even if I started writing out a list of what I needed at the grocery store, my list of things to do and/or a scathing rant (very healing!). Just keep writing, she encouraged me, and I trusted her. Working with "The Artist's Way" was very cathartic and healing for me when I finished. The experiences truly changed my life and I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true for me.
I love what Cameron says about journaling and truth (and I'm paraphrasing here) - start writing and keep writing anything that comes to mind. Right smack in the middle of your three pages (or a bit later for me), you will find that your "truth" comes out. That thing that has bugged you, kept you awake, that fear, the dread or the reason you're blocked, comes out. As she says, you can't lie to yourself when you journal. She's absolutely right.
When I returned to the US as a newly separated, single Mom to two college-age kids in 2006, my son introduced me to blogging. Very soon afterward, journaling turned into blogging and I never looked back. I blogged anonymously for four years and very soon, I was emailing with fellow bloggers on that site; ones that I had a lot in common with. On occasion, I still wrote my Morning Pages in long-hand because I'm a Virgo and a stickler to being a purist when I can be :) But, that soon fell by the wayside as I began to interact with fellow bloggers. It opened a whole new world for me.
I went on to meet five bloggers who I count as very dear friends today and I keep in touch with all of them to include the women in my "The Artist's Way" groups. Some of these women still live in Brussels and some returned to the US after I did. These women have been my sounding boards, my shoulder to lean on and cry with, and we've taken turns being mentors and students for one another. A creative group is so important for creative people!
Blogging as a writer/author, however, is a totally different beast, I've found. Authors review other author's books, there are contests for free books, blog tours, Holiday give-aways and ways to market your book. So, I'm learning new things every day.
I highly recommend blogging and as I look back, it can change your life as it did mine. Blogging kept me sane and writing during the time that I was working full-time and going to school part-time and didn't have the time or emotional energy to pull my manuscript out of the Belgian packing box. Blogging was my daily exercise, my drug and helped me remain sane through my separation and divorce. I found a wonderful support group of men and women through blogging around that period of my life. Yep, I highly recommend it and if you know me, you know I've recommended it to you :)
Good luck to you and happy writing!
Peace and love,
Ellie
Friday, November 9, 2012
We All Have a Book to Write.
Hi all,
I'm a person who believes that when you put your mind to something, a dream, a goal or a challenge, you can do it. I also believe that when you decide what you want in your life, the Universe conspires to facilitate the process and the path.
Yeah, that sounds like New Age lingo, doesn't it? Well, I believe it because I've experienced it. Any time I've decided to pursue a dream and reach a goal, I've known full-well that the prize wasn't going to be handed to me on a silver platter. Dreams and goals require research, thought, soul searching, lots of hard work and at times, sacrifice. As soon as I've done the necessary legwork, it's amazing...people and complete strangers have come out the wings and shadows to either walk beside me, mentor and assist me.
When I wrote a tribute to my Puerto Rican grandmother for her 90th birthday, I sent it to my female relatives. The tribute was well-received which pleased me and my grandmother loved it. I was one of those kids who sat Meme's feet, listening intently to her stories of growing up poor in the Playa de Ponce in Puerto Rico, marrying well and the struggles and challenges of being a woman/mother in the early 1900's. My mother, Mercedes, knew all the stories and when we'd return from our summers on the island, she'd regale my sister Elaine and I with those stories we loved.
I showed my then-husband the tribute to my grandmother and he encouraged me to write an outline to see if I had "a book in there". In fifteen minutes, I had an outline. He said to me, "You've got a book to write." He was right. Right then and there, I sat at the computer and in six months, I'd written a 326 page novel. With two kids at home and a husband/household to manage :) I finished it. I'd always journaled, but a novel? The idea never crossed my mind before. I've always joked that the spirits helped me write this novel...and I'm not so sure that isn't true.
Through my research for my debut novel, I've met two professors of women's studies from various US universies in Washington, DC; I traveled to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic interviewing women; and I traveled to Cacao in the mountains of Puerto Rico where my grandparents owned a farm with my cousin, Josefina. A stroll down Memory Lane for us. I met two female Puerto Rican authors who I'm still friends with.
Synchronicity after synchronicity has occurred during my writing path and I am just amazed. I am passionate about the arts and I love my story. Fast forward six years and I'm still blogging, Tweeting, still meeting and communicating with latinas/latinos and hispanics from around the world. I'm new to social media and I'm learning so much. At times, I feel as if I've opened Pandora's Box with this novel and the marketing involved before, during and after publication! To me, the Internet is mind-boggling and mind-blowing place that I'm learning to navigate and I'm not too proud to say I don't know and I'm always open for advice, suggestions, and comments!
Let me tell you, it takes a village to write a book! We all have a book in us. If you've felt the need to write and have dreamed of writing, do it! Don't wait, my friend. Jump in there and just start writing. Sit your butt down and write. I'm rooting for ya :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
I'm a person who believes that when you put your mind to something, a dream, a goal or a challenge, you can do it. I also believe that when you decide what you want in your life, the Universe conspires to facilitate the process and the path.
Yeah, that sounds like New Age lingo, doesn't it? Well, I believe it because I've experienced it. Any time I've decided to pursue a dream and reach a goal, I've known full-well that the prize wasn't going to be handed to me on a silver platter. Dreams and goals require research, thought, soul searching, lots of hard work and at times, sacrifice. As soon as I've done the necessary legwork, it's amazing...people and complete strangers have come out the wings and shadows to either walk beside me, mentor and assist me.
When I wrote a tribute to my Puerto Rican grandmother for her 90th birthday, I sent it to my female relatives. The tribute was well-received which pleased me and my grandmother loved it. I was one of those kids who sat Meme's feet, listening intently to her stories of growing up poor in the Playa de Ponce in Puerto Rico, marrying well and the struggles and challenges of being a woman/mother in the early 1900's. My mother, Mercedes, knew all the stories and when we'd return from our summers on the island, she'd regale my sister Elaine and I with those stories we loved.
I showed my then-husband the tribute to my grandmother and he encouraged me to write an outline to see if I had "a book in there". In fifteen minutes, I had an outline. He said to me, "You've got a book to write." He was right. Right then and there, I sat at the computer and in six months, I'd written a 326 page novel. With two kids at home and a husband/household to manage :) I finished it. I'd always journaled, but a novel? The idea never crossed my mind before. I've always joked that the spirits helped me write this novel...and I'm not so sure that isn't true.
Through my research for my debut novel, I've met two professors of women's studies from various US universies in Washington, DC; I traveled to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic interviewing women; and I traveled to Cacao in the mountains of Puerto Rico where my grandparents owned a farm with my cousin, Josefina. A stroll down Memory Lane for us. I met two female Puerto Rican authors who I'm still friends with.
Synchronicity after synchronicity has occurred during my writing path and I am just amazed. I am passionate about the arts and I love my story. Fast forward six years and I'm still blogging, Tweeting, still meeting and communicating with latinas/latinos and hispanics from around the world. I'm new to social media and I'm learning so much. At times, I feel as if I've opened Pandora's Box with this novel and the marketing involved before, during and after publication! To me, the Internet is mind-boggling and mind-blowing place that I'm learning to navigate and I'm not too proud to say I don't know and I'm always open for advice, suggestions, and comments!
Let me tell you, it takes a village to write a book! We all have a book in us. If you've felt the need to write and have dreamed of writing, do it! Don't wait, my friend. Jump in there and just start writing. Sit your butt down and write. I'm rooting for ya :)
Peace and love,
Ellie
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Making Myself Comfortable on Blogger!
Hello!
I'm not a new blogger, not by a long shot! I blogged as Ellie2008 on Thoughts.com since October 2007 (until yesterday) and had a brief foray as PracticalSpirituality365 for six months on the same site. Thoughts.com is going through some major changes, so I moved on and I'm happy in my new home!
My Ellie2008 blog was primarily about the adventures and misadventures I experienced as a divorced woman in her 50's who is thrown into the dating scene after 27 years as a wife and at-home Mom. My real life stories will make you laugh your ass off, might break your heart and cause you to make your husband breakfast in bed so that you won't be a single woman in your 50's! Just kidding, of course! I love being single :)
I also wrote some blogs in Spanish because I'm Puerto Rican born. A proud Boricua from Ponce, Puerto Rico! I was educated in the US, Puerto Rico and Europe. I've lived in six European countries and am happy to be back on the US with my two gorgeous children, Heather and Matthew.
The Practicalspirituality365 blog was about lessons and things I'd learned along my path which is my life. I started this blog as a way to give back for all the blessings in my life and it gave me much peace to write these blogs.
These two blogs are in my past, but believe me, the dating stories WILL be put to good use in my next novel. Of course, a comedy! You can't make that shit up :)
So, why am I here today, introducing myself to you?
I finished my first novel, "A Decent Woman" and I can't 'wait for you to read it! My novel is an historical novel set in 1900 Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico about the life-long friendship of Dona Ana, the Afro-Cuban born midwife and Leila, the young society wife whose family was poor before she married well; and the difficulties that society puts on these two women who strive and fight to remain friends.
My fabulous and generous editor Deborah has sent her editorial letter and edits to me this week and I'm very encouraged! I want to begin this blog the night before I open those Track Changes!
I'm excited to share my writing life with you. I'll be happy to share my lessons, experiences, mistakes and joys along the way to seeing "A Decent Woman" published. And, I WILL be published :) I've visualized it, dreamed it and tasted it...
I'm the new girl on the block and I'm happy to meet you!
Peace and love,
Ellie
I'm not a new blogger, not by a long shot! I blogged as Ellie2008 on Thoughts.com since October 2007 (until yesterday) and had a brief foray as PracticalSpirituality365 for six months on the same site. Thoughts.com is going through some major changes, so I moved on and I'm happy in my new home!
My Ellie2008 blog was primarily about the adventures and misadventures I experienced as a divorced woman in her 50's who is thrown into the dating scene after 27 years as a wife and at-home Mom. My real life stories will make you laugh your ass off, might break your heart and cause you to make your husband breakfast in bed so that you won't be a single woman in your 50's! Just kidding, of course! I love being single :)
I also wrote some blogs in Spanish because I'm Puerto Rican born. A proud Boricua from Ponce, Puerto Rico! I was educated in the US, Puerto Rico and Europe. I've lived in six European countries and am happy to be back on the US with my two gorgeous children, Heather and Matthew.
The Practicalspirituality365 blog was about lessons and things I'd learned along my path which is my life. I started this blog as a way to give back for all the blessings in my life and it gave me much peace to write these blogs.
These two blogs are in my past, but believe me, the dating stories WILL be put to good use in my next novel. Of course, a comedy! You can't make that shit up :)
So, why am I here today, introducing myself to you?
I finished my first novel, "A Decent Woman" and I can't 'wait for you to read it! My novel is an historical novel set in 1900 Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico about the life-long friendship of Dona Ana, the Afro-Cuban born midwife and Leila, the young society wife whose family was poor before she married well; and the difficulties that society puts on these two women who strive and fight to remain friends.
My fabulous and generous editor Deborah has sent her editorial letter and edits to me this week and I'm very encouraged! I want to begin this blog the night before I open those Track Changes!
I'm excited to share my writing life with you. I'll be happy to share my lessons, experiences, mistakes and joys along the way to seeing "A Decent Woman" published. And, I WILL be published :) I've visualized it, dreamed it and tasted it...
I'm the new girl on the block and I'm happy to meet you!
Peace and love,
Ellie
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