WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU HEAR VOICES by Ginger Simpson

I heard this older song today by Chris Young and some of it really relates to how I feel when I'm writing.  I recently promised Jude, our publisher, a book by December 31st.  I have it started, but now I have to tune out the voices of Cassie and Will from Deceived in order to get Sarah's Hope finished in time for the fall deadline.

I'm sure I explained in a previous post the difference between Pantsers and Plotters.  I, unfortunately, rely on voices in my head to help me write.  Without all that chatter, I'm at a loss.  I've tried plotting and it just doesn't work for me, so all the people talking in my head are really a blessing...at times.

For me being a "pantser" is akin to having someone tell me a story.  I listen and jot down the words, but I never know where I'm headed until I get there.  It's a lot more exciting, in my opinion, to having a chart of some type that outlines your entire novel for you.  I prefer to be surprised.  The only problem is when the characters are done, so is the book.  I've written some short, some long, and some in between.  You never know how long creating a novel is going to take when you're a pantser.

 I have to admit I do take notes now because my memory has faded with age.  There is nothing worse than forgetting the heroes name and putting in one from another book or having your heroine suddenly gaze through blue eyes instead of green with gold flecks.

If you're a pantser too, you'll be able to relate to this video.  If you aren't, you probably will anyhow, since all those words of wisdom your parents and grandparents shared with you still run through your mind.  I can hear my granny to this day telling me all little boys wanted to do was get in my panties.  I could never figure out what they'd do once they got them on.  How embarassing.  I never wanted to wear Jockey shorts.  Now that I'm older, I realize she was warning me to be a lady.  *lol*

So...I may be camping for the next few months, but I'll be working on Sarah's Hope.  This will be sort of continuation of Sarah's Heart and Passion.  Here's an except closer to the end of that book so you'll better relate to what Sarah is sharing with me now.  She's a chatty one, for sure.

“Really.” He (Wolf) caressed her cheek. “I love you Sarah Collins, and I’d be honored if you would consider spending this life with me. I might have been unselfish enough to have given you up once, but not twice.”

Glee squeezed Sarah’s heart. She’d lived through pure hell in a dream, found the love of her life only to lose him, and now she had a second chance. No way was she missing out on the passion she felt for this man. Locking her arms around his neck, she rested her cheek against his chest, drinking in his warmth, his smell, his feel. “I love you, too, Nathaniel Grey Wolf Elder, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather spend eternity with…even if it’s on a cattle ranch in Missouri.”

Please check my website for places where you can find this book, and most likely my upcoming one.

                           

http://www.bookswelove.net

Robin's Round Robin Blog #rndrbn0713

This month's question is, "What you do to recover, recoup, relax, refresh, re-examine, or whatever."

I think I fall within the whatever category.  I'm retired and I've pretty much taken the status to the limit.  I take each day as it comes, and since I'm a pantser, I rely greatly on my characters talking to me.  Sometimes, they fall mute, as Yellow Moon has of late.  When that happens, I just walk away and wait for her to speak to me so I can continue.  Without the voices in my head, I'm lost.  I know other pantsers understand.

I've tried plotting, but it doesn't work for me.  As for research, as the story unfolds, I double check my facts to make sure they are accurate.  As an historical author, even in fiction, you want to maintain your credibility by making sure everything within the story fits the era:  language, equipment, homes, appliances, etc.  You wouldn't want to have your cowboy playing a Kazoo in 1860 since the instrument, according to my etymology online dictionary didn't exist yet...

kazoo (n.) 

1884, American English, probably altered from earlier bazoo "trumpet" (1877); probably ultimately imitative (cf. bazooka). In England, formerly called a Timmy Talker, in France, a mirliton.

Kazoos, the great musical wonder, ... anyone can play it; imitates fowls, animals, bagpipes, etc. [1895 Montgomery Ward catalogue, p.245]

So, I guess in answer to the question, when I don't have voices in my head, I read. The best way to develop ones craft is to continue learning, and I do that by sampling the work of my peers. There are some really awesome reads out there, and there are some real stinkers, too. What better way to learn what to do and what NOT to do when writing?

Now, bounce on over to Billie Williams' blog and check out her answer to todays question.