Great fun researching my novel Monday's Child set in the Regency era. This morning I sat in bed with a pile of research books beside me working on my laptop.
Drawers were ankle length made in various materials and colours without a gusset, pin tucked and edged with lace at the hem. At first drawers were considered indecent. However, Princess Charlotte wore them and did not care if anyone glimpsed them.
Snuff boxes were made in gold, silver and other metals, tortoiseshell, semi-precious stones and various materials.. Some were engraved, others set with precious stones and, for example, mother of pearl. Those in the shape of naked ladies were popular with gentlemen. These small snuff boxes sometimes had a tiny drawer in which a note or memento could be concealed. Others were miniature music boxes. The Prince Regent and many noblemen collected snuff boxes and displayed them in glass cabinets.
Finally, I chose the design for my heroine's wedding dress - more fun.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Writing Tips to Move Your Process Forward
Sunday Musings: September 28 2014
Musing from the comfort of bed |
Hey there Muser Friends and Family. Hope you've had a fun
week and carried that through to the weekend. And, of course, may this week be
filled with fun and giggles. Don't forget that saying...keep smiling, makes
them wonder what you're up to (or been up to)
Let's get musing.
So this week we're going to continue the thought process
started yesterday. We've mused on what surprised us about the process. This
week....
...what do you need to remember when
approaching/emailing/contacting a publisher?
PAULINE
(P.M) GRIFFIN, author
I'm a step back from contacting the publisher myself. I send the completed mss. to my agent, Cherry
Weiner, and she makes the submission. I
then cross fingers and toes and wait.
(Chris...which I don't think some new authors realize this
about agents. The person I was when I first came to the internet would have
loved to have someome to break the ice and guide me through everything. Plus I
love Cherry, she's super to work with)
MARGARET
FIELAND, author
Read the guidelines. Read them again. Make sure your
submission conforms to them.
(Chris, oh yes, cannot repeat this enough)
ROSEMARY
MORRIS, author
First I consult The Writers and Artists Year Book or The
Writers Digest, make a short list of agents and or publishers I want to submit
to and then strictly adhere to their submission guidelines.
(Chris...dang, I had forgotten about this avenue)
JAMES
CROFOOT, author
hey,
Good question this week. A big thing I learned was polish
that work til it shines. These editors see a lot (Seriously, a lot) of new
authors. always put your best draft (3rd or 4th draft) forward. And always
research the pub. house or magazine, buy a copy of their latest mag. or make
sure to look at their books. Read their guidelines! always. Your work may not
even get looked or thrown out after the first page if you don't follow this
list.
...what do you need to remember when approaching/emailing/contacting
a publisher?
Research. Research. Research. When considering which
publisher to produce your baby: research. Research for the best editors.
Research for the best house which publishes your genre. Research for satisfied
(or unsatisfied) "clients." Research their cover designs. You want
the best for your story. Research those who can give that.
I love MuseItUp and my fabulous editors and cover
illustrator. Go Muse!
JAMI GRAY, author
What to remember when approaching a publisher…
I’ve given a few presentations on writing, and when I get
this question I list three very important points to never forget when querying.
First, make sure you have the name right. No one wants to be called by the wrong name,
and boy do you feel foolish when you hit that send button and realize, “OMG,
that’s the wrong person!” No amount of tears, bribery to the electronic gods,
or pounding on the keyboard will bring that mislabeled missive back.
Second—make sure your work fits them. Go to their site,
check out their authors, make sure your story will have a place in their
home. You don’t want to send your
carefully crafted space odyssey of brilliance to an agent/house who represents
say, women’s fiction or literary non-fiction. Know your genres, and make sure
you take the time to research those you approach.
Third—don’t copy and paste your query letter. Personalize
it. Every. Time. You. Send. It.
For me, when I’m querying I have to remember to sell myself.
That means, listing all the accomplishments my books have garnered. All of
them, even the non-fiction pieces. And
writing the query in general? I dread it, every time. I have to craft my query as if I picked my
book off the bookstore shelf, flipped it over and read the back. I try to make sure I personalize each query
so the person I’m reaching out to can tell I’ve—1. Done my homework 2. Read their submission guidelines and 3.
Understand what they’re looking for.
Otherwise it’s easy to get lost in the pile of incomings.
ANNE
ROTHMAN-HICKS and KEN HICKS, authors
What do you need to remember when
approaching/emailing/contacting a publisher?
Ken: I knew if we
were patient, Muse would finally send a topic we could answer! The answer is
S.A.S.E. Am I right?
Anne: (Takes a deep
breath. Sighs).
Ken: No? Oh I got it!
We have to tell the publisher we’re not submitting anywhere else at the same
time. Promise, cross our hearts!
Anne: I don’t think
so, Ken.
Ken: Hope to die?
Anne: (Long pause.
Deeper breath. Then … ) I think the
important thing is to remember that there are hundreds and maybe thousands of
books being sent to the publisher and that you have to make your book
unique. You have to describe it
succinctly but in a way that makes the publisher just desperate to read more.
Ken: Seriously? Hundreds and thousands? And all against us?
Anne: Are you paying
attention? The publisher is really the
first reader that you have to attract.
If you don’t get past that first portal, you’ll never get to the others. So whatever cool language you use on the
publisher is going to be used on the ultimate readers. You have to make yourself stick out in a
crowd or there will be no sales.
Ken: Would that be a
big crowd?
Anne: Pretty big, Ken.
Ken: I think you’re
just trying to make me cry.
Anne: (Sigh.)
Dear reader, thank you again for joining us and we’d love to
hear from you. Keep smiling and have a fun week. Never stop believing. See you
next Sunday…nothing better than being cozy in bed with some Musings.
If you have a question or comment you’d like us to muse upon, do not hesitate to contact me Christine Steeves-Speakman at MuseChrisChat@gmail.com
If you have a question or comment you’d like us to muse upon, do not hesitate to contact me Christine Steeves-Speakman at MuseChrisChat@gmail.com
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Special Offer:Tangled Love: 18th C Novel
Tangled Love was shortlisted at the Festival of Romance for the best Historical e-book in 2012.
Extract from a 5* Amazon review. "Set during a time of religious turmoil in England, 'Tangled Love' is a worthy historical novel as well as a fast-paced romance. Through its pages the reader learns of the social and divisions of faith during the time of Queen Anne and is shown the very limited destinies available to women at the time. There is also a mystery here concerning possible secret, hidden treasure and a lively sub-plot involving a second romance between two of the subsidiary characters."
Tangled Love is on special offer for £1.84 and $2.84 from:
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore
Extract from a 5* Amazon review. "Set during a time of religious turmoil in England, 'Tangled Love' is a worthy historical novel as well as a fast-paced romance. Through its pages the reader learns of the social and divisions of faith during the time of Queen Anne and is shown the very limited destinies available to women at the time. There is also a mystery here concerning possible secret, hidden treasure and a lively sub-plot involving a second romance between two of the subsidiary characters."
Tangled Love is on special offer for £1.84 and $2.84 from:
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Sunday Musings: September 21 2014
![]() |
Here let me show you |
I joined the internet, oh about, twenty-two years ago. Chat
rooms where from listserv addresses and you had to dial-in to connect. A real
pain if someone picked up the other line and disconnected you. About nineteen
years ago I discovered yahoogroups and a whole new avenue of connecting, this
time with writers.
I believe there comes a time when everyone experiences a
moment of "ah ha" and the mental light bulb goes off in surprise. For
me it was these yahoogroups, I thought I knew how to write a story. Hey, I had
been writing them for years. Now, heck, I'm still learning, but I'm no longer
"ah ha" surprised. Granted, I have other "ah ha" moments,
but those I'll save for a different musing.
Like that lead-in to this week's musing? Here we go:
What part of the writing process surprised you the most?
KIM
BACCELLIA, author
I think the revision process has surprised me the most. Sure, I moan and groan about doing it but
once I really hit my groove? It’s as if
I’m taking a chisel and chipping away the rough edges of my writing to reveal
the diamond hidden underneath. Love when
that happens!
PAULINE
(P.M) GRIFFIN, author
You kind of have me on this one. I've been writing so long, since preschool,
that the whole process simply grew along with me. I think the greatest surprise was my
experience with the editing process. I'd
heard horror stories, but instead I have encountered talented individuals whose
thoughtful work and comments have polished and improved each manuscript. The requested author input is also a pleasant
surprise. When I first entered the realm
of a published author, the writer had no say about cover artwork or anything
else that went on the cover.
MEG
AMOR, author
Aloha Chris and everyone! :-)
What surprised me the most was how wonderful it was to have
'The Muses' turn up and take over. Or one of my characters to go 'rogue' on me
and realize I'd just hit the vein of gold because of it.
It used to terrify me when I first started though. I'd
think. OMGod they're gone. I'll be stuck, nothing else will come... argh...
gah... and other appropriate panic responses.
Once I learnt to trust it. I knew that another piece would
come when it was ready and not to worry. And it always does. It made writing so
much more fun than my previous book which I nearly had to hold a gun to my head
to finish, because I MADE myself write when I didn't have any juice.
Now, I write when the Muses are here. They fly in
periodically from The Bahamas, raid my booze cabinet, make themselves at home
and I take dictation. Then they jet off again and leave me to the fun bit -
editing. :-) I actually LOVE to edit. And I love editors too.
It's such a great process. You watch a nugget of a gem get
cut and polished. All the rough edges gone, and it shines. Gorgeous. A good
editor is worth their weight in gold!!!
Thanks and aloha
DAWN KNOX, author
It always amazes me that a story - even a whole book can
start from something very tiny, such as a comment, an overheard conversation or
an unusual phrase. I'd never heard of a 'thin place' but once it was explained
to me, my imagination went into overdrive and 'Daffodil and the Thin Place' was
born. Even more amazing is that stories just pop into my head from nowhere!
Sometimes an idea completely unrelated to whatever I'm
thinking about appears in my mind and becomes the basis of a story. It doesn't
seem to be anything I have any control over, so I'm always surprised when it
happens.
SUSAN
LEONA FISHER, author
Two things took me by surprise when I began to write
fiction. One was how the characters which I created (by giving them particular
personalities including strengths and weaknesses) took on a life of their own
as I wrote - indeed I began to think of them as real persons. The other was
just how much research goes into an authentic setting for a story. Sometimes
the amount of reading I’ve done, say of a learned tome on the development of
refrigerated transport and storage ends up as one small paragraph or speech in
the story. I remember a rule of thumb quoted at me in a former life when I had
to prepare presentations - one hour of preparation for every minute you intend
to speak. It’s like that with writing only even more extreme.
ROSEMARY
MORRIS, author
I continue to be surprised by the amount of historical
research necessary to recreate the past to the best of my ability in my novels.
I read and read and read until something sparks an idea for a novel. For
example, I read about James II, King of England's flight to France. Most of the
noblemen had sworn an oath of allegiance to him and many refused to swear a
second oath to his daughter Mary and son-in-law William of Orange. What, I
asked myself, would be the effect on the children of two noblemen who followed
James to France instead of making the oath?
The need to research
meticulously continues to surprise me. This week while working on my new novel,
Monday's Child, the sequel to Sunday's Child, I researched Regency engagement
rings, snuff boxes and Brussels lace.
Of course, I doubt any historical novelist can get every
tiny detail right but I try my hardest.
SS
HAMPTON SR., author
Well, nothing about the process itself, really. As part of
the process, and I consider this an integral part of the process, it is the
amount of marketing/public relations activity and establishing your own
"brand" that is the big surprise. Quite often I think this is more
important than the process, especially when being published by small publishing
houses. I've also heard that in larger publishing houses you're still pretty
much on your own until your writing starts generating big bucks, then they will
jump in and do a lot of that for you. I guess writing is no longer just
writing, but a process. Oh well...
CHUCK
BOWIE, author
What truly surprised me--and you Pantsers will testify--is
the 'messages' you receive from out of the blue, telling you what comes next in
your writing. This, IN SPITE of thinking you know your own story! I was on
61,000 words last week, and the solution to the crisis came to me in a dream.
No, it wasn't at all how I thought the plot would be resolved!
One time, I was on P80 of a romance, when these two little
girls entered the book and COMPLETELY stole the plot out from under my romantic
hero and heroine. It has to be re-written, but it will be a wonderful novel,
because the muse came and opened my eyes.
I love it when that happens.
J.Q.
ROSE, author
Here is my
"take" on the process--Thanks.
When writers talk about "the process" my
understanding is they mean the method they use to create their manuscript from
the beginning of the first chapter through to the end of the last chapter. Part
of the way to accomplish this is to sit in the seat and write! Oh yes, the
ideas come while I'm in the shower or taking a walk or in the middle of the
night when those darn characters are talking to me. But the actual ms does not
take shape until I put fingers to the keyboard and words on the screen. I
discovered my process to accomplish this is to set aside time right after lunch
to write. Knowing that I planned to write everyday at that time gave me a sense
of confidence to attack the next part of the story and immerse myself into it.
Now that confidence was a welcome surprise! When the chapter(s) or hour or two
hours I set aside are done, I don't feel guilty for leaving the laptop to do
other things in my day. Do you have a time devoted to working on your
manuscript? Does it help you with the writing process?
MARY-JEAN
HARRIS, author
I've been writing for quite a while, so I can't remember what
was initially surprising for me. Though one thing that I've recently discovered
that I find surprising is just how many options there are in a story.
Especially for novels, at any one point, you can branch off into so many
different directions, choose to follow different characters, make different
obstacles, etc. I used to plan my stories and sort of box myself into events
that had to happen a certain way. But there are so many more things that could
have happened. It's up to us as writers to choose what story we want to follow.
Of course, some stories and characters are much better than others, but the
sheer number of things you can write about is overwhelming sometimes. So that's
what surprised me and continues to surprise me, because it's not that when I
set out to tell a story, that it has to go a certain way, but every little part
of it could have been otherwise, and so it's up to us to choose the right story
for us to tell that's important to us.
IVA
VALENTINO, author
The revision process is what surprised me the most. It's
amazing how many times I can go through a manuscript and find parts that need
fine tuning. Overall, it's a process that I find enjoyable. It's great to be
able to produce that final, perfect piece of writing. What an awesome feeling!
SUSAN
A. ROYAL, author
I think what surprises me the most about the writing process
are the emotions I feel when a scene begins to unfold. Those times when I have
that 'aha' moment and I know exactly what's going to happen next. Or the times
when my characters become 'real' to me. I never expect to get so caught up in
writing a story, but it happens every time.
Dear reader, thank you again for joining us and we’d love to
hear from you. Keep smiling and have a fun week. Never stop believing. See you
next Sunday…nothing better than being cozy in bed with some Musings.
If you have a question or comment you’d like us to muse upon, do not hesitate to contact me Christine Steeves-Speakman at MuseChrisChat@gmail.com
If you have a question or comment you’d like us to muse upon, do not hesitate to contact me Christine Steeves-Speakman at MuseChrisChat@gmail.com
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