Eleanor Tatum

Writing and weather have more in common than I realized. This morning proved the point. I had drafted a post describing The Best Christmas Ever, but that will have to wait.

At this glorious moment I’m sitting in my swamp home (Swamp Home to be released March 17, 2014) admiring the swamp waters churn out waves and swells that are …well…swell. Even the gray skies (Gray Lace, an historical romance in draft) and the gray winter forest displays a lovely shine through the rain. There aren’t any runners or joggers today! (Swamp Run, released September 2012) The rain run-off takes away any dirt or secrets. (Swamp Secret, released March 2013)

Yesterday, the scene was…well…green and blue. The sun danced diamonds across the waters and I had a productive editing day. Today’s weather mood is so windy it’s waving the Spanish moss as a suspenseful warning.

Enough!

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Last year a fellow author recommended The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Every fiction or at least romantic suspense author should invest. It came to my rescue when drafting and revising Swamp Run and Swamp Secret. They list emotions and suggest both physical and facial situational vocabulary. Also, they sprinkled it with advice, such as “Emotion should always lead to decision making, either good or bad, that will propel the story forward.”

This holiday season we’re often urged to buy something for ourselves. Some laws I obey. Under our tree sits Ackerman and Puglisi. They recently released The Positive Traits Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. Both have saved my edits on my third book, Swamp Home. We need, or least I do, more Thesaursi.

Enough!

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Editing is a writer’s curse and a dream. There are surprising moments when my story graciously gives me a euphoric feeling of pleasure. Today a character jumped out to scream, “I love this chapter, but you killed me off in the last chapter.”  I had great fun rearranging his demise,again.

But if I hadn’t bothered with him, I’d be far along with my nightmares of eliminating my editor-dreadful …pauses and missing periods and commas. My 20 chapter story has several conjunctions leaving this author with serious doubts. To comma or not to comma. My problem sent me to Google, since I’m too lazy to research this grammar question properly.  Maybe I’ll do so before the release date, chuckle.

Google said: Use a comma and a little conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so) to connect two independent clauses. The source went on to say: Contending that the coordinating conjunction is adequate separation, some writers will leave out the comma in a sentence with short, balanced independent clauses.

If there is ever any doubt, however, use the comma.

Does this explanation assume I have a little conjunction, a little but? I’ve always been short, but not balanced. Is that an independent clause?

“If there’s any doubt?” Good Grief!, Mr. Google. What kind of clarification is that? Will your “If” bring pleasure to my editor?

Enough!

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My demanding other world (the infamous DOW) has occupied my time and energy this past week. Yet, the writer in me nearly continuously challenged my meager brain cells to organize my writing priorities, plot scenes, and develop character flaws. I’ve managed to read emails, clear out the spam (there’s another post), and pay my RWA annual dues after their second notice. In fact I drafted this post while talking to a long winded relation on the phone. I hope I grunted the appropriate comments to him.  

The last opportunity I had to visit my Creation Station I felt excited enough to create a new love scene.

Please pardon the intended pun.

Writing romance calms this writer’s soul when nothing else works as successfully except my daily Christian devotional. So, I might be seen in a scurry of non writing activities, but my mind creates, promotes, and researches (exercises my feeble memory).

Remember: No matter where you go, there you are.

My DOW is calling.

Enough!     

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A hodgepodge, that’s what this week has been. The euphoric feeling from being awarded a finalist status in the romantic fiction division of The Chanticleer Book Reviews held over for several days until…my editor informed me she wasn’t fond of dots. Those things are all over the final draft of my third novel, which is no longer a final draft because it’s been sent home for repairs. Euphoria out the window. Well…”Piff-Fill”.

The Hodgepodge continues. This coming Friday, December 6,  Deanna Rayburn is allowing me to guest host on her blog, deannaraybourn.com. She is one of my very favorite historical romantic novelist (out of a very very few…yes, I know, more dots and too many very-words). Also, on the positive side of the hodgepodge my favorite son-in-law repaired my website to announce my third novel, Swamp Home. That can be seen well…here. I hope both of these positives will be healthy for my writing business and that thought brings us to the negative side of the hodgepodge. The third quarter receipts from my suffering publisher aren’t enough to dine in a third world country. Yes, I’m blessed,  but…just not wealthy.

My Daddy… one of my favorite characters to write about… left me with several original quotations bouncing in my head. Here’s one that fits…”Everyday and Everyway, I’m going to get better and better.” So, I won’t get depressed… too much… but pick myself up by my English boot straps and try to arrive on the positive side of the hodgepodge. Another one of his quotes …

“Enough!” 

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