Computer Gremlins

My cable is afflicted with gremlins and my internet keeps clocking out on me today. It's take me way too long to get any work done this way, so I'm simply stopping in to say hi, I'm still here, still working. Did a telephone interview today, rewrote more of the historicals, toyed with an old mystery, and wished for a laser gun with which to shoot the cable.

How's everyone else doing?

Relief

Now that I have stripped my historical proposal of amnesia, my editor is happy, and I may proceed. At least I now have something better to do than moan and groan and twiddle my thumbs!

And just to keep you informed as to what to expect in the life of a published author--editors are currently heavily involved in selling the books in their next quarterly catalog while producing covers and promo for the catalog after that. Which means they're not reading proposals. So the contemps are still floating out there, unread. For almost a month now.

Trying to live on a writer's erratic income stream requires financial genius or a well-paid spouse. If I'm lucky, I'll see payment for the proposal that I originally sent on Oct 1, by January 31. And of course, the contemps are producing no income whatsoever. But then, I'm a financial genius with a well-paid spouse. "G"

Naked Heroes

I do like a good subject header!

Thank you for the wonderful choices of "meet" scenes. I've read all the books mentioned and agree the humor truly makes most of them. (SEP and Crusie are adept at this also) But I can't help noticing that the hero getting naked in that scene seems to work well for everyone. "G" I just finished a delightful Elizabeth Hoyt book that started with the hero naked and seemingly dead beside the road. Picture the proper English miss coming on such a scene!

I love humor, although my own isn't as blatant as the ones chosen. The scene I've deleted had very dry humor, and it may be because I'm not finding any humor in any substitute that I can't move on. So maybe I ought to picture my hero naked.

Nina's suggestion that the characters should be forced into a situation that causes them to act in a manner they don't normally is an excellent one. I certainly had that with the all powerful hero feeding a kitten because he's lost his memory and doesn't know how he's supposed to act. Another reason I guess I'm stumbling over this scene. If the editor wants him acting heroically, then he's not out of his league. It's business as usual. Thanks for making that clear to me!

Since this hero has also behaved less than heroically in the past, then I'm even denied that outlet. Definitely gonna have to get that guy naked! Heroic--naked--not acting normally--- Very naughty things coming to mind here.

Writing Process

Thunderstorms shut me down early yesterday, and then I got involved with the wenches blog and apparently that was sufficient socializing for me for the day. "G" We're having fun discussing the future of the entertainment, so stop by if you haven't already, at www.wordwenches.com

Anyway, today I sent in the revised summary of the historical. Knock wood that this one is acceptable, although I have yet to come up with a substitute for amnesia. And yesterday, I received a draft copy of my next cover, but I can't show it until it's approved. But it has way more than the hero's head in the background this time! Gorgeous model and great illustration.

I've been trying to come up with a way of explaining to my editor why knocking the supports out from under my proposal will delay me another three months. It's one of the questions writers get asked frequently--how long does it take to write a book? There is no good answer, but I calculated I came up with the basic idea for this book almost five years ago, when I developed the Mystic Isle series. The characters developed under the first book, which was written nearly four years ago now. When I learned I couldn't do a six-book series, I had to develop the trilogy idea while writing that first book, so I had a plot sketch and characters three years ago. I jotted notes and did research over those subsequent years. I did the final research probably about this time last year. I worked out the plot while I was finishing the book I turned in last June. And once the book was turned in, I finished the detailed outline over the summer while I was waiting for the editor to get back to me. I spent weeks polishing the opening of the outline/draft so that I could turn it in on October 1st, according to contract. And now here it is, mid November, and we still aren't in agreement. How do I explain how much time it will take me to throw out half my detailed outline and replace it with new material that will require additional research, before I can even begin the final stage of the book? It's impossible. Anyone want to help me brainstorm an exciting new "meet" scene?

Stop a minute and think about it, what are the best "meet" scenes in a romance that you can remember? The scene where the hero and heroine first get together (not the prologue) and the story takes off. What about those scenes really caught your interest?