Awesome Updates!

Hello, dolls!

All sorts of great things are happening over here.

• I don't know if I told you all, but I am part of a collection of short stories Called Itty Bitty Writing Space, edited by my friend Jason Brick. It's 104 short stories by 104 authors. My story is my homage to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 450. Buy it here!

• Speaking of Jason Brick - he is offering a special deal on his Write Like Hell class. WLH is a one year course to get your writing (and writing life) where you want it to be. If you mention that you heard about it from me, you get $100/month off on the price. Jason is both generous and a smarty-pants who loves to see people write all they want. If you want to check it out, here is the link.

•  I have an Instagram! I will be using to let the world see my campaign of tiny love notes. I will be hiding these little pieces of art wherever I go. If you'd like to play, let me know. I will send you some small art and you can set the love free in the world too. Come visit me at: www.Instagram.com/linda_mercury    

• On Saturday, October 12, 2019, I will be part of the Self Publishing Divas panel at the Rose City Romance Writers meeting. Join me, Shea MacLeod, Jessa Slade, and Jasmine Silvara  at 11am at Portland Community College -Sylvania. Email me if you need directions. :)

 

• AND. From October 18-20, I will be in ATLANTA, GEORGIA! I will be part of the first Multiverse Con. I'll be doing improv (bites nails) and doing panels on plotting, writing female characters, sex-positive  gaming, and how to survive burnout. If you want to join me, register here.

 

• I'm planning my 2020 travel. If you want me to come to you for readings, book tours, or panels, email me! I love to visit my lovely people.

The most important books for writing romance.

My favorite titles.

I wanted to talk about my favorite books on writing. Every author has her go-to's for inspiration and help, and here are mine.

How can one live without Joanna Russ's How to Suppress Women's Writing?

People love to denigrate our genre. This book gives an insightful and quirky look at how much and how little attitudes towards women's words have changed. It taught me just what kinds of horrible internalized sexism colored what I wrote, how I viewed other women, and worst of all, what I did to myself.

Find it here: https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/rushow



Making a Literary Life by Elizabeth See.
A far greater writer than I'll ever be says this:

If everyone who wants to be a writer would read this book there would be many more good writers, many more happy writers, and editors would be so overwhelmed by sweetness they would accept many more good books. So what are you waiting for? Read it! Ursula K. Le Guin

Find it here: http://www.carolynsee.com/Books/literarylife.html



Write Away by Elizabeth George.
From Publisher's Weekly:

Here's a useful book for the novice writer battling the fears and insecurities that attend when she contemplates her first novel....George illustrates her points with passages from both her ownworks and those of numerous writers she admires (Martin Cruz Smith,Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Michael Dorris), this remains more of a how-I-do-it book than a how-to-do-it book. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unlike PW, I'll say that this book is good even for experienced writers. I love her examples - they illustrate her points brilliantly.

Find it here:http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com/books/write_away.htm

The most important romance specific book on my shelf is Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women by Jayne Ann Krentz.

"In Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, Jayne Ann Krentz and the contributors to this volume—all best-selling romance writers—explode myths and biases that haunt both the writers and readers of romances.

In this seamless, ultimately fascinating, and controversial book, the authors dispute some of the notions that plague their profession, including the time-worn theory that the romance genre contains only one single, monolithic story, which is cranked out over and over again. The authors discuss positive life-affirming values inherent in all romances: the celebration of female power, courage, intelligence, and gentleness; the inversion of the power structure of a patriarchal society; and the integration of male and female. Several of the essays also discuss the issue of reader identification with the characters, a relationship that is far more complex than most critics realize."

Find it here: http://jayneannkrentz.com/dangerous-men-and-adventurous-women/

I feel that the most important book on my shelf remains Against Our Will by Susan Brownmiller. I'm not going to kid you - this is a painful and devastating book, whether you have been a victim of sexual assault or not. But it endlessly reminds me of what I feel is the great gift that romance gives every reader: That her pleasure is central to life, that her consent should never dismissed or belittled, and that each of us deserves to be heard.

Find it here: http://www.susanbrownmiller.com/susanbrownmiller/html/against_our_will.html

Query: It's random question time!

Welcome to Query, a new series here at my blog! I love reading conversation-starting questions- so why not share?

And here is the Query for today:

If a mysterious benefactor wrote you a check for $5000 and said, "Help me solve a problem, any problem!" - What would you do with her?

Needs and Wants

One of the perennial flame wars of all time is *drum rolls*

Needs Vs. Wants.

(Say that in the Epic Rap Battles of History voice. It's pretty kicking)

I get really steamed when people say to someone,  "That's a WANT, not a NEED!" It's a way to dismiss someone's desires, be it for clean air, a hug, or a Ferrari. (or  Jaguar. Depending on your taste)

Most people will tell you that needs are only for survival - things like food, clothing, shelter, and breathing. Anything else is a want, and therefore frivolous.

The truth is, the only thing that matters is the question that comes after, "I want X" or "I want Y". That question is:

"For what?"

If I said, "I need a massage, lots of tea, a hot bath, and someone to brush my hair."

One of those "need" people would say, "Those are not needs, they are wants." They would think I was frivolous and wasteful, and I would think they were dumb-ass idiots with the IQ of a turnip. And we would both feel really miserable.

Well, if they had asked, "What for?", we could actually understand each other. I would answer, "If I don't get body work, stay hydrated, and have time with someone I trust, I turn into a pain-addled, depressive, angry hag."



The next time someone goes off about your wants/needs, ask yourself, "For what?"

It will stop the argument, create a better conversation, and save your sanity. :)

Wise words.

Therese Patrick

Romance writers are generous and loving and kind. Don't believe me? Listen to these wonderful words by Therese Patrick to me, when I was despairing that I couldn't write for 8 hours at a time.

Write for 8 hours on end? Good grief! 4 - tops. I'm not into turning my mind and body over to a muse for half of my consciousness each day. Writers need to be living life in order to write about it. 8 hours of butt in chair every day is not living life, it's avoiding the stories that are developing and evolving all around us.

Stories come from people. 4 hours of being out in the world where people are walking and talking - then 4 hours of butt in chair... Or 4 hours of reading followed by 4 hours of writing.

You can't write about life if you are not living life or reading about life. Find your own personal balance then celebrate that! The words will live there.

Learn more about Therese over at her great blog, Author Marketing 101. 

Co-founder of  Author Marketing 101 with C. Morgan Kennedy.  AM101 is FREE marketing advice and actionable tips for authors. We present workshops and our AM101 Guide & Journal will be published in the fall of 2013!  Our 7 Primary Points can be applied to Artists and Small Business owners who are looking to stand out from the crowd in the internet cloud.  Change the words that apply to authors and books to your title and product and have fun online.

Blast from the Past.

Note: I am currently at the Romance Writers of America National Conference. While I'm gone, I'm reposting some of my older blog entries. This one is about how writers figure out their characters.




Every writer finds ways to make her characters three-dimensional and interesting. We fill out character sheets, brainstorm via longhand in cheap (or expensive, depending on your personality) notebooks, post pictures of what we think they look like - the list goes on and on.

Archetypes or stock characters are fantastic starting places. Often people get quite upset about these ideas, claiming that using them leads to one-dimensional characters or stereotyping. In the hands of a writer who isn't paying attention, yes. That can happen. I really like the way Christopher Vogler puts it in The Writer's Journey:

Looking at the archetypes....as flexible character functions rather than rigid character types, can liberate your storytelling. It explains how a character in a story can manifest the qualities of more than one archetype.

Every good story reflects the total human story, the universal human condition of being born into the world, growing, learning, struggling to become an individual, and dying. Stories can be read as metaphors for the general human situation, with characters who embody universal...qualities, comprehensible to the group as well as the individual. (pgs. 30-33)

Here are just a few archetype systems that writers I know use.

Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell's breakdowns which includes categories such as Hero, Mentor, Threshold Guardian, Herald, Shapeshifter, Shadow, and Trickster.

Visconti-Sforza Tarot.

The Tarot- Which has the advantage of very pretty art in addition to helping figure out character traits.

Astrological signs (a perennial favorite)


Gods and Goddesses of various pantheons (I have a weakness for the Greeks, but I've found inspiration in other religions, too)






I'll be getting into these ideas into great depth in later posts. Let me know if you want me to go into the whole Jung/Joseph Campbell origins of modern thought on archetypes. It's fascinating and I love it, but I can be long winded about it.

Another growth opportunity.

"What is the hardest lesson you've learned on your writing journey?"

Oh, ouch. I so didn't want to think on that.

Fortunately, I learned how to deal with rejection early (pro-tip: read Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See).

What should I talk about? The difficulty in believing in yourself? The need to Dare to be Average?

No, the hardest part was learning to talk about my work.

(I just now completely stalled out on writing this, thinking about what I was going to say about talking about my work.)

When you have a dream, you might have to keep it under wraps for a little while - protect it from those who would, in a completely innocent way (of course), say or do things that discourage you.

I got stuck there. When it came time to pitch my book or to ask for help, I would either stall or simply not answer.

I do not recommend this course of action. Once your dream is sturdy, share it.

What is your dream? What are you working on?

Advice to men, from a romance writer, Part Four

Of course, I have more personal pet peeves about male fashion.  It continues with my obsession with men's legs.

If you are wearing dark pants and dark shoes, please, please, PLEASE don't wear white socks. I hate to break the news, my sweet puddings, but it does not make you look like Michael Jackson when he was in his prime.

And this rule's corollary: No dark socks with sandals and shorts. Again, we're back to the stumpification of your sexy lower half.  Proportion remains the rule - you really don't want a torso that is two thirds of your body length.

The most important advice that I can give a man who is interested in a lady has nothing to do with clothes.
A poorly dressed man who understands the principle I'm about to reveal will have it all over a sharp dressed boor.

Here it is:

Look her in the eyes and let her finish her sentences.

In fact, I'll say it again, with a different font.

Look her in the eyes and let her finish her sentences. 

Nothing is more erotic, more sensual, more enticing to a woman than a man who genuinely listens to her concerns and ideas, and doesn't use them as a springboard for his own, much more important opinions.

This is what makes a romance hero so special. This is why women write and read romance - to find a man who values our intelligence even more than our bodies.

This is why I am giving you advice. Because I want you to be a sexy, awesome hero, too.

Advice to men, from a romance writer, Part Three

 It's very nice and all, but all we get is a nice view of your chin. And I'll be honest. Chins just don't rate as highly as eyes on the Sexy-o-Meter.

Another way to highlight your best features is to take off your baseball cap/trucker cap. If you are wearing one of these inside a building and especially on a date - take it off!

A man's eyes, eyelashes, lips, and smile are the prime attractors. A cap throws them into shadows, preventing soulful, sexy eye contact. You want people to see your eyes. WE want to see your eyes. And no, it doesn't matter if you are balding.

By all means, wear your cap if you are working outside in the sun. Once with a date, though, remove it. It makes you look courtly, stylish, and very, very classy. And what man doesn't want that?

Advice to men, from a romance writer, Part Two

Let's dive right into the important task of helping a man entice the kind of attention he would like. We'll start with clothing.

The point of clothing is to highlight your body's attractive parts and downplay what you are uncomfortable with. Every since fashion magazine, blog, and clothing store beats women over the head with this truth. For some reason, this rarely gets translated into action for men.

Let me give you an example.

I was sitting in a coffee shop when I drafted this post. A handsome young men came in to do some reading with his friends.

He had lovely curly blond hair and a wicked smile. He walked like a wrestler with a light and strong stride. But his pants bagged down past his mid-thighs. His hoodie drooped to past the waistband of his pants.

He didn't look sexy or interesting. The clothing made his body look deformed and disproportionate. The low pants and long jacket combined to make his torso appear to be three fourths of his body and shortened his legs into stubs.

It made me worry if he had been malnourished as an infant. This is not what you want someone thinking about when they look at you.

My very first advice is PULL UP YOUR PANTS and TUCK IN YOUR SHIRT.

Yes, I know this makes me sound like a grumpy old geezer. But go back to the basic principle of clothing- to highlight your best features and to downplay what makes you feel insecure.

Pulling up your pants will make you legs look long and strong. It'll show off your rear end and your package (and these views are a potent force for good in this universe! And who doesn't want to be a hero?). And it will put your body into proportion.

Many men who have bellies believe that a long shirt hanging down will disguise that flesh. But, remember, it merely stumpifies your legs! The long shirt is also likely to ride up, revealing what you are trying to hide. If you tuck in your shirt, it will make you look more together, more dressed, and will highlight your better parts.

Never fear! I have many more opinions on male attire and how to draw appreciative eyes. More tomorrow!