Humpday Help - Journals

Ugh...Wednesday almost slipped past without me noticing. This year I'm constantly asking, "What day is it?"

I am wondering tho... how many of you have started a journal this year. Are you documenting your thoughts as you make your way through this crazy time?

I started, but it lasted for a whole five days. Over the years, I've kept many journals. This year is a perfect year to document, but my mind is more focused on work and muddling through daily life.

Hmm.... maybe I should start a journal as my New Year's Resolution. Now, that's a thought!

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If you are thinking of starting a journal, here's a few ideas to get the mind kick started. 

*Remember something that made you so scared you thought you were going to faint dead away. 

*Remember something that made you laugh uncontrollably. 

*Think about your most embarrassing moment.. come on, I know you have one. 

 Just sit down, close your eyes. Think back to the days of childhood and sift through memories and you'll find a treasure chest of things to write about. Think about what you were wearing, how you felt, what you thought or said. Your words will reflect emotion and you will find yourself writing with freedom and fluidity. It's really not hard. Give it a try. I'm sure you'll have a story to tell.

#Thursday13 - Being Friends with a Writer

This post is dedicated to my poor friends who know me so well and still love me. 

My "Coffee Club" gals keep me sane. Love 'em all!

Regarding anyone who will meet me or has recently become acquainted with a writer,

 really needs to read this.

1. It's not that I'm anti-social. It's just that I'm currently writing at least three books in my head. It's hard to mentally outline and talk at the same time.

2. I'm not staring at your ear because I'm a stalker with a weird fetish. You just did something that gave me an idea for my WIP.

3. I'm not talking to myself. I'm PLOTTING.

4. I'm a grammar Nazi and you just slipped up. Yes…it will eat at me FOR HOURS.

5. Please don't reference any mainstream, highly successful novels unless you know for sure that they are free of typos and weak writing. And make sure there are no adverbs in it. Otherwise, you'll set off a literary hissy fit of epic proportions.

6. DO NOT talk to my about 50 Shades of Grey. See #5. If you insist on asking me, I'll tell you. Ad nauseum. 

7. IT IS NOT A F***ING HOBBY!

8. Yes, I'm neurotic. I'm a writer, duh. When have you ever met a sane writer?

9. Meet my delicate artist ego. Stroke it. Praise it. It will purr for you. Then it will cry. Then it will accuse you of being disingenuous. Then it will tell you to go to hell. Then it will beg you to like it. Then it will be aloof. Then it will curl itself into the fetal position and suck its thumb until you stroke it again.

10. Give me wine and chocolate. Whatever you said or did will be forgiven. I will name a character after you. I will dedicate my next book to your awesomeness.

11. Piss me off, I’ll put you in my book and kill you or at least mess you up real good. (Insert evil laugh). If you are really my friend, you’ll do #10.

12. Yes, I write erotic romance and you want to know what about my personal life? Grab a bottle and we’ll talk. *wink, wink*

13.  Don't ask where I get my story ideas. How the crap should I know? It's not like I have a storage locker. Brain Farts, maybe or just simply and  highly overactive imagination.

My oldest friends keep me crazy.

(Yes, this is borrowed.  I don't have a clue where it came from...just found it in a saved file on my trusty laptop. But it is soooo me!)

Check out some amazing #Thursday13 lists from some of my writer friends. 

Click HERE

Wednesday's Writing Prompt - the beginning

I teach a class on writing and encourage journal keeping. I kept a journal while I spent time in England as teen. Years later, I found that old notebook and read through it. Funny thing... my first book (Painted Soul) was born and thus led to many more. Keeping a journal is not only documenting thoughts, feeling or events but it's a great way to exercise your mind. Writing can be a form of meditation, relaxation and therapy. An athlete practices regularly to stay in shape. A writer keeps writing to stay sharp. Writing is a great way for seniors to not only to keep memories alive but also keep their minds alert.  Journaling is great for all ages!

Simple rules of keeping a journal:
* Sit in a comfortable place where you won't be interrupted for a few moments.
* Don't spend alot of time. Set a timer if needed. Use only a few minutes to write. Think of it as drinking a glass of water rather than an entire gallon. Once you get the  hang of it, you might have times where your thoughts may take up several pages.
* Don't be a critique. Journal entries are raw. Think of them as rough drafts if your wish, but don't change them. It may ruin the beauty of the words. If editing is your thing, save the original and edit a copy. Keep every draft you make. I've done that and it's fun to look back at the growth.
*Keep a journal in a notebook or on a computer. It doesn't matter. Whatever is comfortable to you. I like a journal I can hold and carry. There is something about writing with a pencil on paper that feels good.
* Don't just write, keep other things in your journal. Paste a poem or comic that you enjoyed. Clip an article. Save those doodles! Keep inspirational photos.

So... every Wednesday I'll post a Writing Prompt to help train your mind to write, to exercise your brain, to encourage you keep a journal. Use these prompts to break a writer's block if needed.

Are you ready?

Here's your first assignment. 

 IN THIS MOMENT part 1

Sit comfortably with your notebook and pen. Write for 10 -15 minutes.

A.   Begin this exercise by looking at your immediate surroundings. See what catches your attention. It may be the pattern on the carpet, a fly on the window pane, a dirty cup, the painting on the wall, an open door and what lies beyond it, the view outside, the overflowing wastepaper basket, a letter you forgot to post, et. Describe two or three objects, picking out some precise details such as shape, size, color, texture, smell. Write briefly about one or two of these: the sounds you can hear, the warmth or coldness, the amount of light, the kind of light. 

Facebook Diet

How long are you on Facebook? How often do you check it during the day? Is it interfering with your work?

Here are few steps to go on a Facebook Diet.

1. Turn on Tag Review to avoid being distracted by everyone tagging you. Feel free to remove yourself from tags.

2. Turn off Facebook Chat. It can sucker you in.

3. Select Stop Notifications to prevent you from being notified every time someone comments on a post you’ve liked/commented on.

4. Hide your Sidebar and you’ll your Facebook Ticker. Put away the temptation to look.

5. Try the Chrome plug in “Newsfeed Eradicator for Facebook”.  It will replace your newsfeed with motivational quotes.

6. Turn off all game notifications.

7. Me? I’m not all that tech savvy and would spend too much time trying to figure out how to do all the above. So I just take a kitchen timer and keep it next to my computer. I set a time and when the dinger rings, I close Facebook. (I also do not have FB on my phone.)

Humpday Help - Plot Bunnies

For the next several weeks, Humpday Help will attempt to explain Plot Bunnies. First of all, a Plot Bunny is an idea for a story that gnaws at the brain until written.

Some well known plot bunnies that have been positively identified. There are various breeds, thousands of them, and many aren't even tied to writing. Inventors and scientists have their own breeds of plot bunnies that lead them to discoveries where A leads to B which jumps to G or even Z.

Here are a few Plot Bunnies that commonly plague writers.

The Lop-eared Sitting Around Talking Shorthair

Physical Characteristics: Lop ears, short brown/grey flecked fur

How to identify his presence: When your characters inevitably come to a point where the plot simply won't advance, so they sit on a couch/the ground/ a golf cart/ a pirate ship and start talking about nothing in particular. Some couple thousand words later, a plot bunny pops up, grins, and heads off! It can always be discovered in this kind of plot stall, and it's known for waiting until the last possible moment (the moment when you are about to throw your laptop across the table) to come and create a diversion.

The Mystery Plot Bunny

Physical Characteristics: Black, short hair with small, pointed ears.

How to identify his presence: This bunny is attracted to plots which aren't usually intended to have any mystery. The bad guys are known, the goal is visible, but suddenly the Mystery Plot Bunny appears and there's a piece of information lacking, a lost object, or an unknown baddie that needs to be discovered and stopped.

This bunny is known to complicate plots far more than they need to be. Usually can be made happy with a missing item, but sometimes demands the more involved mysteries.

Killer bunny

Physical Characteristics: Small, white, red eyes

How to identify his presence: Not unlike the much-feared Monty Python variety, this little white bunny looks harmless as you're writing along, and then up close, abruptly kills off a character you weren't expecting to kill - at least, you didn't intend for it to go right THEN! In its wake, it leave behind a host of new plot opportunities... as well as some definite Closed Paths.

Are you an author?

"Do I have a marketing plan? Are you kidding? I'm buried with writing, editing, fighting with a website, trying to balance a job, family, and all the other demands of life. If I think about taking on more, I start to stress out. But I'll listen to suggestions. I need all the help I can get."

Is this you? Are you a writer who fights constantly to find better ways not only to write, but also to promote? Need help? Like to offer solutions?

A writer pal, Kayelle Allen, told me about an awesome online group for writers. Check out  Marketing For Romance Writers. It's a self-help and mentoring group for writers dedicated to helping authors.

They will host a free online conference in July; so mark your calendars.

Plot Bunnies ARE Real

plot bunny :
An idea for a story  that gnaws at the brain until written.

An idea like this may strike at any time. Sometimes they're great, sometimes they suck.

An idea for a story, usually referring to an author having more ideas than he or she can use.  
The term's origin is unknown but is known to predate NaNoWriMo. Because plot bunnies tend to multiply quickly, the term is thought to be related to the oft-quoted John Steinbeck quote about ideas and rabbits.


"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." --John Steinbeck

Congrats to one fellow author who managed to capture all her plot bunnies at once.

Lucas Black, a famous author, finds himself struggling with writer's block. As he falls further and further into his obsession, his lover Simon breaks up with him. Depressed, Luc prays for a muse and is surprised when his prayers are actually answered in the person of a young man named Dury, who claims to be Luc's plot bunny. Dury is everything Luc shouldn't like, eccentric, mysterious, and far too beautiful. But in spite of his doubts, Luc cannot help but feel an increasing affection for Dury.
After his painful separation from Luc, Simon Roth is unable to continue sculpting. Seeing his ex on the street with someone else only serves to reopen old wounds. To his shock, that someone -- a mysterious man named Dury -- begins to stalk him, pushing Simon to contact Luc once again. Simon realizes with dismay that Dury's gentle coaxing reaches out to a deep part of him, one he'd thought reserved for his lost love, Luc.

Even as the two artists acknowledge their feelings for each other, they understand they have both fallen for Dury as well. Dury, however, hasn't told them everything. His secrets may well be the death of them all.

THE PLOT BUNNY by Scarlet Hyacinth
Read an EXCERPT

I have been recently attacked by a supper hot, sexy plot bunny.  I like the way he thinks, it's going to push me into a different direction but looks like fun.  Sometimes, one simply has to be flexible with these rabid creatures... or have some really strong cages. 

If you are a writer and have too many plot bunnies,

you can drop them off at

 The Plot Bunny Adoption Center.

Mojo Monday

Many writers will challenge themselves by looking at a photo and writing a poem or a short story inspired by the photo. Such an excersise is a great way to break writer's block. Here is a photo and the poem it inspired when during one of my mental blocks.

Watching and waiting.
I remain silent, without response.
Listening to the universe.

Watching and waiting.
Mystical and sensual.
A moment cannot be defined.

Watching and waiting.
A cosmic wave.
An energy released.

Watching and waiting.
A shiver runs through my whole body.
I'm profoundly moved.

Watching waiting.
Spontaneous combustion.
A master of body and mind emerges.

Watching and waiting.
A vision of pleasure.
Harmony of ecstasy and spirituality.

Watching and waiting.
The senses of the sacred are aroused.
Come to me.

Watching and waiting.
Beyond the physical plane.
I will protect you.

Watching and waiting.

Words from the Author - Tormented Soul

Authors sometimes will put alot of energy to produce a story and sometimes the story simply happens. Tormented Soul was a delightful combination.

Painted Soul was not written to be the first book in The Soul Series, but actually happened accidentally. While writing Painted Soul, I enjoyed creating the supporting characters. As the book progressed, the main character’s two brothers, Erick and Michael, began to develop. Around the same time, I read “Seduced by a Rogue” by Connie Mason. I was infatuated with the cover and that became Erick to me; until he turned into more of a Val Kilmer.

Erick’s story took a year to write and was fun to research. I studied speech patterns of young Englishmen and poured over maps of London as well as personal photos. I went online to “look” at homes for sale that Erick would consider living in. Feeling like a fish out of water, I visited a local motor sport shop to find out what kind of motorcycles my characters would ride and what kind of gear they’d need.

(Thanks goes out to Birch Run Motor Sports for putting up with all my questions!)

At one point, I stopped writing when I wasn't happy with my ending. When it finally came to me, I wrapped it up! The final draft of the second book, Tormented Soul, was complete at 136,217 words.

Thanks to my mom for pushing me to find love for my rouge character... because "he deserved to be loved".

To celebrate, I'm giving away two special items this month.
A signed copy of Tormented Soul and a gift from my favorite store, Lover's Lane.

All you have to do is leave a comment on any post from Feb.1st until midnight the 14 th, the holiday for love... Valentine's Day .

Names will be placed into a drawing and the winner will be picked and announced on February 15.