Technical Difficulties

Sorry 'bout dat. Electric company came through and took out my cable--again. And I, being the technical doofus that I am, could not get the internet back up even when they fixed the cable. Even when tech support led me through it by the hand. By the time my husband came home and repaired the mess, I had a wenchly blog to write. Apparently all that effort burned out my last brain cell and I forgot to post here yesterday.

Not that I accomplished more than rewriting more of the historical. Two steps forward, three steps back...

It's Magic...

Another ear worm title, sorry. You're excused if you don't get the reference.

In my case, the "magic" my editor wanted added to my proposal wasn't necessarily of the paranormal kind, but possibly an extra-special effect created by my super-heroes, an emotional firestorm, so to speak.

As to why readers and TV watchers have latched onto the paranormal, I can only guess. My suspicion is that in an age of worry and uncertainty, we're looking for explanations. Mankind is always looking for explanations of the impossible. I think we want to believe that souls live on in some afterlife, that aliens are out there, that our brains really can save the day. Nina, your "god complex" may work into that. And it's kind of nice thinking that Superman may come to the rescue when half California is burning.

Today I added emotional "oomph" to my historical outline, along with another page. Back to the drawing board.

WHY WE WRITE

Nina asks: "Given how difficult Houses are making it for writers to be career authors, why do you think writers keep writing? (Insanity is a given :-) )"

Excellent question. Masochism, maybe? Because no one else will hire us? (that's not entirely facetious. I surrendered my CPA license years ago and the accounting field has gone well beyond my knowledge since) I'm not sure this doesn't come under the insanity defense--but because we're passionate about what we do.

Of course there's Sherrie's excuse--no commute, no stockings, no high heels, all extremely relevant as far as I'm concerned! I'm making money simply by staying home.

But what keeps me writing is that I've always written. This is who I am. I Am A Writer. The people who populate my head find homes because of me. I get to express my opinions subtly or blatantly and people occasionally listen. My audience is a lot larger than my clients at the accounting firm.

And then there's always Excuse #123--if I don't write, I sew and embroider and redecorate the house. My creativity needs an outlet, and I don't have room for any more quilts or embroidered pillows!

Today, I shredded some more historical chapters and started layering in nuances that one hopes will become useful later. I have to tackle that two-page summary tomorrow...

Rewriting, rehashing, slitting throats...

Nina, I know I promised to answer your question today, but I'm running behind. I've spent the day drawing and quartering the opening chapters of my historical. It's a painful process and kind of blunts the brain. I have mercilessly hacked the spirit fairy, bludgeoned the prospective bridegroom, cleared space for a brutal drama, and otherwise upped conflict and tension.

I'm thinking my idea of "magic" and my editor's might be two different things. Of course, given what's selling out there, she's probably right and I'm not. Maybe I should take up children's books. Forget that. Harry Potter was too vicious for me.