Lisa Hendrix

Those may not be the first two question I ask myself when I start writing, but they’re right up there. I HAVE to know his name and appearance — hero first, almost always. Until I get them right, I cannot truly begin. Names are a huge thing for me. I can’t use a placeholder name to start out; too much baggage attaches to it, and then when I try to switch to the “real” name, I find I’m writing about a completely different person.

The title of the book is much the same, though it can wait a little while. I do have to put a good name to it sometime before I hit the end of Act I, however–usually before I complete the proposal–and I tend to obsess until I come up with something I like. I’ve had to change a couple of titles after I turned the manuscripts in, though, and strangely, it didn’t bother me like a character name change does. All I did was obsess again until my editor and I agreed to something.

As for appearance, that’s more general but just as critical. Really, a blond hero is different from a raven-haired one, and if you add a streak of silver to the raven, well you have someone entirely new. I’m not one of those people who does a collage, but I do clip images on the internet and save them. Dozens of them (more on that in another post).

What brought this up is that I got my cover art for Immortal Warrior a few days ago. It’s gorgeous, all hero all the way. Unfortunately, it’s also preliminary, so I can’t share it yet — and I did ask. Though the cover model doesn’t look anything like who I pictured while I was writing, he’s a perfectly wonderful stand in. In fact, he has replaced my original model in my mind and heart. I’ve asked for his name and will share it when I can post the cover. This boy has a chest…omigod.

So while we’re waiting, I thought you might like to see what Ivo looked like while I was writing him. Turns out, he was a dead ringer for the juicy, tortured, wonderful Captain Etienne Navarre from Ladyhawke (aka Rutger Hauer)–except he wore grey.

Sigh,

How about burning 600 Calories a day while writing with a treadmill desk?

And here’s info on how to buy or build one.

I am so there

Mega-thanks to Jonathan Fields at Awake@The Wheel. Photo cred EOntario (and no, that’s not me — but it easily could be after a couple more books!)

Marketing expert Seth Godin spoke to recording industry execs recently about the changes they’re going to have to make to survive in the new music market.

Well, the publishing industry faces similar changes as ebooks approach true feasibility, and any writer, editor, agent, or publisher who is interested in surviving in the changing market needs to read Godin’s Live Music Talk and step out ahead of the curve.

One point Godin emphasizes is that recording companies could shift to providing valuable services such as building tribal-type communities for their artists. Interestingly, the most successful romance authors I know have been building their tribes for years. For example, Nora Roberts has her Noraholics, and Debbie Macomber has her incredibly faithful band of readers who turn out for signings in droves (Debbie publishes a paper newsletter that goes out to thousands of these faithful!). Both Nora and Debbie have put a lot of time, money, and attention into gathering these tribes, and it has paid off in spades. Only recently have their publishers begun to contribute to their efforts.

Authors can already put digital copies of their books on-line very easily (check out these free downloads from science fiction author and blogger Cory Doctorow). Once a truly usable ebook reader hits the market, the houses will find themselves fighting the same DRM battle as the record companies — with as little success (as Godin points out, suing listeners/readers is both a BAD idea and a battle you can’t win). Instead, smart publishers — the ones who ultimately survive — will find a way to provide valuable services to readers (and thereby to their writers) other than killing trees.

Lisa

I found a piece by Steve Martin at the Smithsonian Magazine website today. Even though the title is Being Funny, it’s not really about being funny. It’s about professionalism, finding your voice, being true to yourself, hard work, and a myriad other things a writer needs to make part of his or her soul.

And about being funny.

Be sure to watch the video that’s linked at the top of the article (Martin’s breakthrough Tonight Show performance). Just be sure you don’t have a mouth full of coffee. I nearly sprayed my keyboard.

Lisa

They’re good kids. Really they are. I love them very, very much. They’re even old enough I don’t have to pay attention to them every minute.

But it snowed Sunday night, enough that the district cancelled school yesterday, so they were home all day. Wanting to talk. Wanting to eat. Wanting to play video games. Wanting to *breathe*. I don’t know about other writers, but I have issues with people who breathe while I’m writing, or at least when I’m starting a project. Until my characters manifest fully and are so clear in my head that they refuse to go away until the story’s done, the presence of other people in the same vicinity rips me out of the zone (Twilight Zone, Writing Zone, whatever). I need not just privacy, but solitude.

So, you say, that was yesterday. I have my solitude back today. Why am I bitching?

Because it’s snowing again. Big, floofy flakes right out of the last scene of White Christmas. Gorgeous. I should be smiling. Instead, I’m thinking that if it keeps up, they might cancel school again tomorrow.

Sigh.

Lisa

UPDATE! (Weds, 30 Jan 08) — Yep. They’ve closed the schools, and in the nastiest possible way. At 7am when I checked, there was only a 2 hour delayed start. Then at 8am, one of the kids’ friends called to say it had changed to a full closure. That makes 4 days off in the last 8. (A holiday and an inservice day last week, and 2 snow days this week. So far).

Sigh

I came back from Portland totally jazzed and full of ideas for improving Immortal Outlaw, the next book in the series. Deb Dixon is full of insight on things like the Big Black Moment (another workshop she gave to the group), and my brain just kept clicking over new possibilities, both during the workshop and later, on the long road home (I live about 6 hours from Portland).

The big thing I realized Read the rest of this entry »

Three critical elements of a good story. Also, a terrific book by romance and women’s fiction author Deb Dixon.

And finally, the title of Deb’s workshop, which she’s giving this weekend for Rose City Romance Writers, the RWA chapter in Portland Oregon.

I’m headed that direction tomorrow, laptop in hand, ready to learn. But also, to play. It is Portland, after all.

Portland: Bridges and riverfront parks. The casually threatening Rimsky-Korsakoffee House (home of the Church of Craft). Excellent mass transit. The incredible pastries of Papa Haydn. And of course, Powell’s books.

Aaaah. Civilization.

Lisa…smiling blissfully.

I finished IMMORTAL WARRIOR on Monday, then spent a few days catching up on life (paying bills, cleaning house, restocking the fridge, getting my hair cut, talking to my children –- all the things that went by the wayside while I was in deadline mode). I hate letting life get quite so out of control, but that’s what tends to happen at the end of a book. And it was especially bad this time, because Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so January 1st marks the official start of the new year, and everyone else is blogging about their resolutions and plans.

Not me.

Not yet.

I’m finishing up (this week) the final draft of Immortal Warrior, and until that’s done, I can’t expend brain cells on future planning. Yes, I know what’s coming next. Yes, I will write about it.

But not today.

Instead, I invite you to post your Top 3 Goals for 2008 in the Comments section. Make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely), and then check out this LifeHacker article on various free web apps to help you track your progress

I’ll fill you in on my plans as soon as I get this puppy to Fed Ex.

Lisa

Some of my favorite gift ideas for the writer or reader in your life:

Book Darts — little folded brass place markers to slide on a page to mark exactly where you left off reading, or where that key fact is. A tin of 75 is under $10. Use this Store Locator to find them at your local independent bookseller.

Books on Writing — Try Stephen King’s On Writing or Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.

Moleskin Notebook — Available at many bookstores and usually at art stores. Many styles. If you want to splurge, Read the rest of this entry »