Samhain Publishing

by Michelle Miles

HI! My name is Michelle and I’m addicted to movies. This is part of my 12-step program.

I grew up in the era when movies stayed at the theater for a year, you waited in line around the building to see the new ones, and it only cost $2.00 for a matinee. There was no Blockbuster and our VCR had the giant buttons and the pop-up thing where you inserted the tape. The remote was called a “clicker” because there were two buttons (on and off) that actually CLICKED. DVR wasn’t even a thought in our young minds and who would have ever imagined an entire movie on a shiny circular disk? And digital music? Dude. We had vinyl.

I’m a child of the early ‘70s. In high school, I had ‘80’s hair and acid wash jeans. The local hang out was the roller rink (that’s roller skates for those of you who remember) and I watched Sonny and Cher (and other variety shows). Fantasy Island scared the crap out of me, Love Boat was cool and Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone were two shows I always steered clear of. I thought The Lawrence Welk Show was dorky but my parents watched it anyway.

I saw Star Wars (the original 1974 release, mind you) in the theater at least five times. My big sister took me and whispered the scrolling opening in my ear as I saw and watched with wide eyes. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. I can clearly remember saying, “I’ve seen it FIVE times. How many times have YOU seen it?” to my friends in school. I remember how shocked we all where when Darth Vader “got good” at the end of Return of the Jedi. I also remember how shocked I was when I realized, at the tender age of 9, that Han Solo and Indiana Jones was the same guy. Be still my pre-teen heart.

It was somewhere along that same time when I discovered the 1960s version of Star Trek. Of course by that time, they were in syndication. But then, in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered. And a Trekkie was born. I dragged family and friends and just about anyone who’d go with me to Star Trek conventions. I got autographs of Nichelle Nichols, George Takai, James Doohan, and Patrick Stewart in my Star Trek Compendium.

But it wasn’t enough. Neither my imagination nor my need for more action/adventure/science fiction/romance was sated. So I began to write my own stories. I wrote fan-fiction. Everything from Star Trek to Indiana Jones to Bladerunner. I wrote about damsels in distress and inter-galactic wars. I commissioned friends to write with me. With one I did my own Indiana Jones illustrated comic books starring us (I SO wish I still had those!); with another we did Bladerunner stories. I even went so far as to play Star Trek role playing games with fellow friends.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, there you have me. I’m a nerd, through and through. I have learned to embrace this feeling of nerdom and accept it for what it is. I have learned that movies are special things that give you hope, dreams, love, chills, fear. They lift you up and open your mind to things you may never have thought about before. As I got older, I loved old movies and musicals, too.

I have a son in which I’m trying to instill a love of movies, as well. He loves the old Star Trek show and the Star Wars movies, too. I’m so proud.

I suppose my love of movies helped drive my love of books, too. And why I wanted to write. I’ve had movies (and voices) in my head for as long as I can remember. If I wasn’t a writer, I’d be in a straightjacket.

How about you? What types of things inspire you?

Michelle Miles is an avid movie watcher and writes fantasy, paranormal and contemporary romance. You can learn more about her books at http://www.michellemiles.net and follow her on Twitter @MichelleMiles.

I was recently laid off from my full time job. No, please, don’t tell me you’re sorry to hear that. It’s really a blessing in disguise.

See, I hated my day job with a vehement passion. It wasn’t the working part I disliked as much as working in daily chaos. The people I worked with were great people but the boss was a little… well, as Penney (Big Bang Theory) would say of Sheldon, whackadoodle. Plus, my writing was suffering due to the fact that I was in such turmoil. It’s hard to spend forty hours a week at a place that gives you stomach ulcers.

Anyway, so I got laid off. I thought how great it would be to finally chase this dream I have. Sure, I’m published. But I’m nowhere near where I want to be in terms of my career. And I wanted so much more!

I want to divert here for a second and talk about the word “career” as related to “writing”. It’s funny that people look at writers not as career-minded. At least the people I've run across. Is it because we can sit at home in our PJs and hammer away at the keyboard? It is because we don’t report in to someone every morning and punch a clock? Do you think it’s just a hobby for us? Or do you think because we write books we’re not serious people? Just because I don’t sit in an office with a degree hanging on my wall doesn’t mean I don’t want to have a successful career.

The first month was difficult, at best. I didn’t realize the stress I would have once I was no longer working. It’s that whole loss of income thing. Talk about the pressure. I tried to write but found that most everything that came out was drivel. Horrible drivel. I moped. I felt sorry for myself.

And then my husband said, “You need to stop making excuses and get busy writing.”

This from a man who does work for a living and knows me better than I know myself. He knew I was making excuses. He knew I wasn’t rolling up my sleeves and getting to work like I should on a daily basis. And he knew I needed a kick in the pants.

I was fortunate to hear the great Sophie Jordan speak at our local chapter meeting. She talked about her decision to go back to work just as she won the Winter Rose contest (in 2005) and, consequentially, ended up with an agent and then sold. I talked to her briefly about my situation and she said, in all her wisdom, “You just need to keep writing. That way when you do go back to work, you can be submitting.”

It was a reality check. I was being a sissy about the whole thing. I was wallowing in self-pity and self-doubt and allowing all these things to get in the way. I told myself that while I looked for work, I should at least be creating and writing, like she said. Because both Sophie Jordan and my husband were right. I was failing miserably.

That’s when I had a whole cast of characters show up and start talking and I started a new story. The characters haven’t shut up yet. I set a daily word goal of 2,000 and so far, I've met it nearly every day. Some I even exceeded it. It's a good feeling. And I have renewed determination.

Michelle Miles is a career-minded writer trying to learn how not to let things get in the way. She writes contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy romance. You can find out more about her books by visiting her website at MichelleMiles.Net

I've been doing a lot of introspection lately about writing. I told myself this year would be different for me. I would try harder to focus on the writing and, most of all, to participate in the groups to which I pay annual dues. There are a lot of other things on my list, but I don't have the time or space to post them here.

There was a recent discussion in one of those groups that talked about the worst writing advice they ever got. But what it evolved into was a discussion about how people in their lives did their best to kill their dreams. I began to wonder why that was. Why do people (some who hardly know us and some who we've known since birth) feel it necessary to tell us we're wasting our time if we want to write books for a living?

I think it's funny how the people we love most tend to be the ones to tell us how "hard it is to get published" and how we'll "never make money" writing books. And that not everyone can be Nora Roberts, JK Rowling or Stephen King. Well, duh, but don't I get a fair shake at making an attempt?

I think so.

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Let’s face it: rejection sucks. There’s just no other way to put it. All writers hate to get those form rejections. I know I do. Whenever I get one of those, I wonder what’s wrong with the story, why didn’t that editor like it, what could I have done differently? Maybe my query letter was awful… maybe it’s my story… maybe it’s just that it wasn’t a good fit. Or maybe something else entirely.

It’s hard to know what to do except to keep querying when receiving those form rejections. That’s all you really can do until you get some kind of feedback from a rejection that really tells you what the strengths and weaknesses of the story is.

I was lucky in that I recently received a rejection with detailed feedback on the story. The editor gave me all sorts of insight into the characters and the worldbuilding. No, my query letter didn’t suck. What a relief! Right?

Wrong. I was crushed. Almost. I read through the comments, set them aside, and then came back to them a few days later and realized the editor was RIGHT. I got insight into the story from a different perspective and when I thought about it, digested the information, I realized that THAT was what I needed to do for the story. It suddenly all made sense!

I was grateful to the editor for taking time out of her busy schedule to write me a four paragraph rejection letter. I emailed her back with a heartfelt thank you. I’ve since begun rewriting the story. It’ll take me a few months but at least I feel as though I’m on the right (write?) path now. I’m not giving up on this story yet!

Michelle Miles writes hot contemporary romance and is currently rewriting her fantasy romance as well as working on an historical/time travel. To find out more about her and her books, visit her website.

By Michelle Miles

I judge a lot of contests. Seven this year to be exact with an average of five entries per contest. I can’t tell you how many times I see the “telling” in stories instead of the more emotional-punch of showing. And you can tell the difference between a new writer and a seasoned writer by how they describe things and really use that “showing” to their advantage.

I’m guilty of it, too. Sometimes I just get lazy as a writer and think, “Oh, I’ll go back and redo that later.”

Anyway. I wouldn’t be rambling on about this if I wasn’t going to give you some examples of telling vs. showing. Are you ready? Here we go.

These examples are from my latest, WIP (the gladiator book I’m revising).

Original:
He rounded the corner into the banquet hall and paused to take in the sights and sounds.

Revised:
He rounded the corner into the banquet hall. Faint strains of harp and lute music floated through the mingling group of men—politicians and Citizens and other dignitaries. He even spotted a few Legion soldiers.

See the difference? In the original version, he pauses to take in the sights and sounds and then it goes on with the next paragraph. But in the revised version, we actually hear and see what the character is hearing and seeing. Instead of the generic “sights and sounds”.

Here’s another example.

Original:
Heads turned as Elena crossed the room, making Cassius jealous.

Revised:
Heads turned as Elena crossed the room, rousing the jealousy in him with her every step. Cassius wanted to single-handedly rip out each one of their eyeballs.

I love this description – the fact that Cassius wants to rip out their eyeballs for looking at his woman cracks me up.

And one more.

Original:
After all they’d been through now that she obviously needed him she shoved him away, making him angry.

Revised:
After all they’d been through now that she obviously needed him she shoved him away. His rage and frustration exploded. At her. At the Emperor. At this unnerving situation they were both in.

I’m sure there are better examples than I can give you, but at least this gives you the idea of the difference.

Happy writing!

Michelle Miles is a member of Romance Writers of America® and serves as President of her local chapter as well as Treasurer of the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal special interest chapter. She writes hot contemporary and fantasy romance. For more information about her books or to sign up for her monthly newsletter, visit her website at http://www.michellemiles.net.

Recently, my local RWA chapter had a “kissing contest”. Okay, it’s not the kind you think. We’re not that sordid. No, our contest was to have members write a kissing scene between two characters. It was successful in that it got several of the members writing and a couple who stepped out of their comfort zone to write in a genre they had never written in before.

So I got to thinking about this a little later. If we can step outside our comfort zone to write a simple kissing scene, why not an entire book?

Which made me wonder – could I write an entire book by just starting with certain scenes? In my head, I began to think about different plot elements of a book. Of course, Goal-Motivation-Conflict is in there. The big picture stuff. But what if we break them down even further?

A kissing scene. If you’re writing romance, there has to be sexual tension. We, the reader, want them to kiss as much as the characters want to kiss (and trust me when I say, these characters have a mind of their own). Maybe you’ve always wanted to write something scandalous and tawdry, well now is your big chance.

An action scene. It has to have all the elements of fast-paced action with some snappy dialogue. Maybe even an explosion or two. You want to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat. Always wanted to try your hand at fencing? Get your characters to do it. Except give them a short sword and some armor and go for it.

The Black Moment. If you write or read romance, then you know what the Black Moment is. It’s that moment in the book when, just when the hero and heroine start to fall in love, something comes to drive them apart again. Something that can be so big it carries to the end of the book. Maybe they have a fight and break up. Maybe the heroine thinks her beloved, who has gone off to war in some faraway country, is dead and never to return. Maybe she’s decided she wants to have children and he doesn’t.

You get the idea. What if writing a book was writing a scene that wasn’t something you would normally sit down and plot and write from start to finish? Wouldn’t you then be stepping outside of your comfort zone and writing something totally different that you may not have ever tried?

Maybe you typically write contemporary but have always wanted to write historical. Sit down and let your imagination run wild with some ideas and just free write out that historical scene.

Or perhaps urban fantasy is more your cup of tea but you haven’t actually ever tried it before. Seize that moment! Sit down, open your mind, and let those fingers fly on the keyboard.

Don’t be afraid to try something new. What have you got to lose? You never know when you might discover your hidden talent for a new genre. And, after all, you never have to let you critique partners see it.

Happy creating!

Michelle Miles writes sexy contemporaries and is a member of Romance Writers of America. You can learn more about her books at MichelleMiles.Net.

Since I started writing, I’ve been a Pantser. That’s someone who “writes by the seat of her pants” if you’re new to the writing-lingo. I never plotted a thing. Ever. It just worked for me that way.

But then one day… Pantsing stopped working for me. I would find myself getting stuck for long periods of time and then just not writing anymore. In fact, I went nearly a year without writing. That’s bad! I was depressed about it, too. I couldn’t figure out why I was so stalled.

And then one day, I was reading an author’s blog (Kelly Gay to be specific) and she was talking about note cards. I can’t remember exactly what her post was about but it got me to thinking about note cards and what I could do with them.

Remember back in the day when we were required to write those dreaded research papers? And remember we had to actually go to the library because there was no such thing as Google? And, also, remember we had to actually take notes on those 3 × 5 note card and turn them in with our research paper as proof we did our research?

Well. I got to thinking about that. And so I decided to try and plot using the note cards. I went back to a book I had already written but was in the process of rewriting it into a Young Adult. I took the note cards and wrote a scene – any scene I could think of. I eventually put them in order of the book and pasted them to foamcore. It worked for that book.

But not for subsequent books. Which is strange.

Instead, what happened on the next book was I got this idea from a weird dream I had. So I quickly started to write it all down. As it turns out, I ended up with a four page synopsis. I used that as the basis of the book I wanted to write and ended up getting it finished, somewhat following the synopsis. I finished the book in about two months. I’m now editing it before it goes off to submission.

So now I’m wondering what to do next. Should I use the note cards? Or write a synopsis from an idea? I guess I’m weird when it comes to plotting/writing. It either works for me, or it doesn’t. I have noticed that if I take the time to sit down and write out a synopsis for the book, it helps me (a) stay on track and (b) keep writing. The note cards… well, not so much. Unless the book is already written and I know where I’m going and how to get there. I actually think these will come in handy for a series of books. That way I can look back and see what happened when and to whom and not get confused.

That’s why I call it Plotting The Michelle Way. One way works for me, then a different way works for me. Weird, huh?

Michelle Miles writes contemporary and adventure romance and has four books published with Samhain. Check out her website at http://www.michellemiles.net.