I need to give a shout first though, today is the FOR REALS book release for Alex Cavanaugh and CassaStar! I can't imagine I have any readers who don't already know Alex, because he has this blog thing worked to an art form, but today is REALLY the first day you can get his book and don't you want to be his first?
Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled blog.
You remember a while ago I posted (nearly snarky) 'if you want to blog here' rules? My REASON is that I love all of YOU and want people who guest post to be writing for YOU instead of just generically promoting... Robin is a SUPERSTAR... she totally took me seriously, even though I am only a little scary, and she has guest posted EXACTLY for you.
Welcome Robin!
Naked, nakeder, nakedest?
When offered a guest post on this blog, I have to admit I stumbled a little bit. It’s not easy to get noticed when standing next to someone who has a witty sense of humor and unique writing style, but I’ve found the only way to learn from someone is to emulate their habits for a bit, see how it feels and just see what new ideas come through by osmosis. So now….
I AM NAKED! (Tart note: warms my heart!)
Sure, you laugh and roll your eyes (what lengths will an author go to get noticed?!?), but I figured there must be something to this. I mean, freeing oneself from restrictions, constrictions, confines or that little-too-tight waistband can’t hurt, right?
Writing isn’t always easy – even on the best day – so why not? We writers get in the habit of our little spaces, our just-so work places, our special pens, and our certain weighted paper. Why not shake it up a bit? Maybe our stories, our characters, our plots could use a little diversion – if not a little laughter (I don’t know about you, but my nakedness isn’t going to warrant a call from a modeling agency any time soon). Maybe freeing ourselves from the ‘normal’ is just what we, oft-stumped writers, need.
Like any ‘routine’, the act of writing can get stagnant.
Ever read an author whose books have become formulaic? Or an author whose endings always seem to be ‘happily ever after’? How about one who can’t seem to get past the overuse of exclamation points or the monotonous boring sex scenes? Dull, duller and DULLEST! Maybe if authors stripped themselves of everything extraneous, they, too, could find something a little out of their typically comfortable box.
My point – and not that one session of nakedness has made me a scholar – is that for an author to stand out, to be noticed, in this ever-expanding crowd of authors, we have to push the edges, maybe go for the not-to-tried and true. We need to stretch ourselves and our writing minds. Readers want to be entertained – not be given the same old story, hashed and re-hashed. Characters who come alive, who speak to them by doing a little something different than what they themselves would do is what every book buyer craves.
You say you can’t seem to get there today? Plot line got you a little bogged down? Your writing brain is a little foggy? You know, Albert Einstein would define that as insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
I’m sitting here naked and, 15 minutes and 432 words later, I’ve had an epiphany. Just imagine what altering your writing routine might just do for you…
@ 2010 Robin Cain
Robin Cain lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, daughter, three dogs, three horses and donkey. As a novelist and regular contributing writer for The Examiner, she spends her days searching for the perfect words to amuse, enlighten and touch her readers. By reading her work, you’ve not only helped make her dreams come true, but other’s dreams as well.
To learn more about Robin or read an excerpt from her book, please visit her website: http://www.robincain.com/
BOOK BLURB:
A software genius with a knack for business, Frank Campelletti’s been living the dream his whole life. He’s amassed money, success, and is now accumulating women, but someone out there thinks he’s gone too far.
Who is seeking revenge and why? His wife? His mistress? Or the shadow who’s been following his every move?
Just when he thinks he has anticipated his opponent’s next move a tragic car accident leaves him paralyzed, his life’s work is being stolen and his wife has disappeared. Just how far will someone go to teach him the correlation between deception and despair?
WHEN DREAMS BLEED examines temptation and the ensuing consequences in a contemporary world. It’s no secret that dreams come at a price, but what happens WHEN DREAMS BLEED?