Sagging middle syndrome

No, I'm not talking about my weight and figure, although I sometimes feel that my middle could use some work.
I'm talking about the sagging middle of a novel.
It's a common dilemma. Many writers draft detailed outlines before commencing writing. Others write by the seat of their pants knowing their characters will see them through. My approach is a little of both.
I have found that if I spend the time developing my characters with an interesting back story so that their actions make sense and then come up with enough possible obstacles to throw at them at every turn, I can make myself at least the framework of an outline, enough to get me to feel confident when I sit down at the keyboard.
Of course, that doesn't mean I am not without fear. But at least I know I have something to hang my hat on should I run into a dry spell.
My current solo novel No Other Choice was suffering from sagging middle for the longest time and because of that I just couldn't get words on the page. I knew the story was there. I knew how I wanted it to end. I even had the big black moment all laid out. I just couldn't figure out what to put in the middle. What was going to keep my heroine from getting what she wanted and how was she going to arrive at the BBM [big black moment]. So the book laid fallow for a while which upset me. ThenI started brainstorming with what-if's. And it happened. The what-if's started flying off the page. If this happens, then that happens, which could cause that.
Aha! I had my middle.
Now, I can't wait to get to the computer every morning to put poor Charlotte through her paces. Writing is fun again.

Learning the craft

Just finished reading a couple of books by a duo that have become very successful. While I was reading them for pleasure, my real motivation was analyzing what they are doing that is right in the hopes of learning what makes a good book. It never hurts to learn what makes one book great and the other ho-hum. Of course, the goal is to join the ranks of the great.
As everyone says over and over, the key is characters and conflict - make a character or characters that the reader cares about and put conflict after conflict between them and their goals until the end.

Just accepted a new writing gig

Writing for a medical blog - in the UK! http://medicalstudentblog.co.uk/
And how did I find this opportunity? By being on Twitter.
I admit I was one of the skeptics when Twitter first came out. I just didn't "get it".
But the more I delved into it, the more it made sense. The power of connection is amazing if you use it properly. Sure it can be the biggest time waster there is but that's not the point. The point is to offer substance, to connect with like-minded individuals.
Network, network, network.

Going to Afternoon Tea today

It's important to mark the milestones, to acknowledge success.
Today my friend Shelley is taking me to Afternoon Tea at the Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix to acknowledge my book being printed in its second edition by All Things That Matter Press. It might seem like a small thing but it took me a long time to get to this point and I appreciate her celebrating this milestone with me.
It makes me want to go on and create even more.

Life is full of distractions

The trick is to turn the distractions into inspirations.
Take my office window, for instance. I could gaze out of it for hours. Right outside, mere feet from me, are beautiful plants, gorgeous shade trees, and a bird feeder that is busy most of the day. The quail especially catch my interest. Just a few minutes ago, I was staring at them, feeling guilty for wasting time.
Now, I think I will incoportate my inner dialogue into my current novel and get my heroine moving. She feels like me today, unmotivated and stuck in place.

A story that could inspire you for the rest of your life...
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say,"Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead.
"I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into my daughter Carolyn'shouse I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren. I told my daughter, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and my grandchildrenthat I want to see right now. I don't want to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said,"We drive in this weather all the time, mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
"Carolyn," I said sternly.
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
So we went! After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church.
On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read,"Daffodil Garden ---->"
We got out of the car, each of us took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.There were five acres of flowers!
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.
"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster.
"Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read.
The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain."
The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.The principle her daffodil garden taught meis one of the greatest principles of celebration.That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time.
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn.
"What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way.
"Start tomorrow," she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"The Daffodil Principle.
Stop waiting.....
Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die...
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching.
If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special (like I did to you!)Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
- Author unknown

Writing picture books is hard work

My co-author and I are trying our hand at writing a picture book to get The Life of Riley project going.
Getting all your thoughts into 500- 1,000 words isn't easy.
Joyce [my co-author] seems to have a knack for this that I lack. I admire her abilities so much.
Good thing she is relying on me for the illustrations. Of course, I have possesion of the protagonist Riley.