Excited people

by Maggie Toussaint

Don't you just love standing next to someone who's quivering with excitement? I got a virtual dose of it during the recent announcements of Golden Heart and Rita finalists. I had not entered and yet I got to experience the euphoria first hand. It was energizing!

Other exciting people give off great vibes too: charismatic politicians, evangelists, birthday boys/girls, anniversary couples, college graduates, award winners, entertainment stars, well, the list goes on and on.

In teaching my yoga class, I've noticed the positive effect of good vibes. It gives veracity to that old saw, everybody loves a winner, because in truth, they enjoy basking in the glow. And I'm not just talking about the glow of success. There's more to it than that, but since this is primarily a writer's blog, I'm going to keep it simple.

Believe in yourself.

Allow yourself to be excited about your work. That positivity will go a long way towards influencing others to your point of view. Cloak yourself in the glow of success.

Maggie Toussaint

MUDDY WATERS and ON THE NICKEL under contract

http://www.maggietoussaint.com/

Things that make you stop and go

by Maggie Toussaint

Do you remember the kid's game called RED LIGHT? One person is IT and he/she stands some distance away from a pack of children. IT turns his/her back to the pack, counts to 10 aloud and says the word "red light". At this, everyone must freeze. If IT catches you moving, you become IT. (Of course, the goal is to tag IT)

Life and writing are a series of stops and gos, and all of these interruptions and stolen moments come at a moment's notice and often without invitation. So how is a person to feel they are making any sort of progress?

I further categorized my thoughts on this into things that shut down or nourish your body, mind, and soul. Here are mybreakouts:

Body stops: illness, too much to do, too little to do, visiting relatives, hunger

Body gos: good nutrition, exercise, anticipation, family, comfortable shoes, music

Mind stops: scary movies, frigid cold, illness, information overload, heavy fragrances

Mind gos: yoga, brain teasers, relaxing music, games, game shows, lively discussion with friends

Soul stops: people who are rude or mean, having to be around people who don't respect me, too much time in a hospital, excessive fluorescent lights, repetitive dullness in the environment

Soul gos: singing, being outdoors, being creative, meditating, worshiping

Interestingly, I found that music makes me feel better in every aspect and that negativity was draining on every level. I'm not sure one can draw a relevant conclusion from a sample set of one, but it seems to me that knowing your stops and gos can help you understand your highs and lows. It can also give you an idea of how to recharge quicker when life throws curve balls at you.

Using the actions of the kid's game of Red Light, I also had the thought that turning around 180 degrees in both perceptions and perspective can be the difference between stopping and going.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on stops and gos.

Maggie Toussaint

mystery and romance author

ON THE NICKEL and MUDDY WATERS under contract

http://www.maggietoussaint.com/

Seriously, folks

by Maggie Toussaint

Some days, no matter what you have planned, life takes a serious U-turn. That's happened in my life on several levels. I'm a person who doesn't surprise well, very goal-oriented and a completer of tasks. So when the unexpected happens and my pre-ordained schedule derails, it often takes my breath away.

First, the home front. Termites. Ugh. We found them in the fall, had our house treated, and waited the required 3 months to repair the door frame. Imagine our surprise when the damage extended up and down the studs to the left of the door as well as the right. The plate over the footer crumbled like sand at the touch. Termite trails were all through the drywall as well. Yuck. Now I've got carpenters and ladders and cold air in my house, banging and talking, and fixing, which is all good but annoying too.

Second, every time we think we are making headway with an elderly relative in a physical rehab facility, there seems to be a setback. This takes a physical, emotional, and spiritual toll. It also is toxic to my muse.

Third, some changes in books are needed. The general wisdom is that book one of a mystery series should be book two. Which is fine for book two, but lots of surgery in book one. I'll keep a copy of the "classic" version of book one, but I'll need lots of creativity juice for alterations. Another book needs CPR too. This one doesn't require a major overhaul, just a suspenseful tweak here and there. I can do it. I just need to wrap my head around it and get going.

Fourth, with all the rehashing going on, my WIP has to go on the shelf. I've done this before and I know I can pick it back up, but it is still a change in plan. And I really like my WIP, so there's some feet dragging going on, some mental whining.

Coping with change, for me at least, is a bit like the seven-step grieving process. You go through them all and you come out on the other end stronger, more grounded, more able to shelter life's storms. Life is, after all, about change.

We adapt and grow. Or we don't. It's up to us.

Maggie Toussaint
author of mystery and romance
www.maggietoussaint.com

Something fun - A Party at The Book Spa

Most days I wear a couple of hats; today is no exception. Tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 25) we are celebrating the one year anniversary of The Book Spa. We are primarily a chat loop for writers and readers, with themed discussion days and set days for promo.

During our celebration, we will be giving away 4 books and 4 gift certificates for online book purchases. To enter the contest, post a comment during the 3-day celebration (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Winners will be announced on Monday.

Here's the link: http://yahoo.groups.com/group/TheBookSpa/

Hope to see you there!

Maggie Toussaint
www.maggietoussaint.com

Recipe for a Writer

by Maggie Toussaint

I was creating recipes for book characters today over at The Book Spa and decided it would be fun to come up with a recipe for a writer. Stock ingredients came to my mind: perspiration, dedication, talent, luck, networking, strong work ethic, education, professionalism, adaptability, faith, confidence, creativity, computer savvy, and analysis. The challenge was to decide on the proportions and amount of cooking needed.

Here’s my recipe for a writer:

Mix together equal parts talent, creativity, confidence, faith, education, perspiration, dedication, and computer savvy until well blended. Simmer in a moderate oven until half-baked. Meanwhile, stir up a bowl of strong work ethic, analysis, professionalism, networking, and adaptability. Layer over the baked portion, making sure all areas are covered. Bake until the writer is immune to rejection. As the writer cools, sprinkle with luck. Serve with caffeine and chocolate.

Want to give it a shot? Leave your recipe in the comment section. I'd love to read it!

Maggie Toussaint
author of romance and mystery
www.maggietoussaint.com
www.facebook.com/maggietoussaint
www.myspace.com/maggietoussaint
http://groups.yahoo.com/TheBookSpa/

Ganging Up on You vs the Buddy System

by Maggie Toussaint

Recently, at a wellness checkup my new doctor mentioned a screening test that I should take. I uttered my pat phrases, excuses really, on why I didn't want to do that particular test.

To step to the sidebar for a moment, this is a test that is critical in my husband's family, but there has never been any trouble of this nature in my side of the family. My husband has faithfully had these screening tests for years. But not me. And I'd already had the guilt trip last year when I refused the test and he looked at me with crestfallen eyes, telling me that my not doing this could jeopardize my health.

Back to the wellness checkup this year. My doctor told me a story of someone who put the test off too long and paid for the delay adversely. She wrote out a referral and said the first appointment was a consult anyway.

I knew I wouldn't make the appointment. But then the doctor asked again on a follow-up visit. My husband asked again. And the insurance company called to ask why I hadn't arranged for the test. Sheesh. I called and made the appointment for the consult.

The reason for telling you this long story is that it would be lovely if we did this for each other as writers. If some of us got together and said, hey, your goal was to write 20K a month. Where are you with your goal? Why haven't you gotten it done?

A writer friend of mine and I decided to try this a couple of years back. We started out as critique partners, but we ended up close friends who wanted to encourage each other. So each week, we report on our progress. Each week we set new goals for the coming week. Let me tell you, having that accountability helps me hold my feet to the fire.

I encourage you to find a writing buddy and to team up as each other's writing coach. Not that you will judge each other's style, but rather that you encourage productivity. We've managed to write through marriages, vacations, family troubles, illness, and more.

The nice thing about this idea is that each person sets their own pace. I believe in keeping the group small. Once you add in more people, it seems like bragging to tell what you've accomplished, and the feeling of accountability lessens. With the buddy system, you don't want to let your buddy down. That means a lot, not letting your buddy down.

Heck. Why limit it to writing? Find a buddy for any area of life where you need encouragement. A healthier you will ultimately yield more quality time for writing.

Maggie Toussaint
a believer in the buddy system, just not for my medical professionals
www.maggietoussaint.com

Stopping and starting

by Maggie Toussaint

Summer is a jagged time for me to write. I start writing. Something happens. I stop. I do something else. I come back to my story. I wonder what I was thinking. I have to take time to reread what I wrote before I can move on. I start again.

Does this sound familiar?

Seems like I'm doing a lot of writing, but the effort is dispersed over several projects so that no one thing is getting finalized. This is hard for me since I am by nature a linear person. Once I start something, I like to stay with it until I'm done.

But I'm learning flexibility in all things; and really, isn't that what life is about? Adapting to meet our challenges?

Maggie Toussaint
romance and mystery author
www.maggietoussaint.com
www.myspace.com/maggietoussaint

Critique - thumbs up or thumbs down

by Maggie Toussaint

In the beginning, I thought I knew how to write a book. But it wasn't until I joined a critique group (and began to swim with the big fish) that I learned how much more there was to book writing. I learned a lot from my first group, good stuff and bad.

First the good stuff: when a word/phrase/scene brought comment from more than one person in the group, it needed additional work. When I felt the need to explain a passage at our critique meetings, I hadn't done a good enough job in the book and it needed more work.

The bad stuff wasn't so bad. For me, the worst part was getting conflicting input. I had a tendency to want to please everyone and I spent a year rewriting a book to everyone's satisfaction. When I finished it, I hated it and there was no coherent voice.

Which brought home another lesson. I learned it was important for me to complete a book before I brought it to critique. Then I was certain of where the story was going and who the characters were.

I lost a year doing that group-pleasing book, but I gained back my focus. Critique is a good way to sharpen your work, a good way to check for repetitions, for craft essentials, and story.

Since that first group, I've had several online critique partners, and I believe we all learned from each other. Critique isn't for everyone, but it sure helped me. I give it a thumbs up!

Maggie Toussaint

a fresh new voice in Southern fiction

http://www.maggietoussaint.com/

Blogging blues

Sorry to leave you hanging out here in cyberspace so long, Susanne. I'm between releases and hoping I'll have some good news one of these days. I've got a new agent and an invitation for a resubmission from a publisher. Crossing my fingers that both of those things work out for me.

This summer is a stay-at-home time for us. We traveled to see family in the spring and will do so again in the fall. For now, we're staying put, enjoying the air conditioning.

Maggie Toussaint
a fresh new voice in southern fiction
www.maggietoussaint.com

New blogging words

By Maggie Toussaint with kudos to Francesca Prescott, Celia Yeary, and Lorraine Hunsaker

The topic of our Book Spa discussion was blogs, but not in the usual sense. We talked about blogs you’d like to be able to write (how famous I am), blogs you’d hate to write (I’m not as clever as I thought), blogs that irk you (I wrote my book in a week), and what makes you read a blog (friends, hook, author name). From there the discussion devolved into a wording adventure.

My friends helped me to develop a blogging lexicon. Here’s the list we came up with, our very own blexicon. The inventor of each word and definition is in parenthesis (m=maggie, f=francseca, c=celia, l=lorraine). Enjoy!

Blogomoron - (m) someone who dwells in the land of blogs to the point of silliness

Blogolicious - (m) something incredibly appetizing or appealing in a blog

Blogdiddly – (m) a lot of squawk about a bunch of nothing

Blogmoric – (m) humorous to those of a younger persuasion

Blognit – (m) a tiny post that takes issue with something

Blognanimous - (m) high praise from a fellow blogger

Blogititis – (f) when you're unable to think of a blog subject

Blogarbage – (c) someone raving about herself/himself

Blogooned – (f) 1) when your blog gets pirated, or 2) when you get stuck in the middle of yourblog and it's not going anywhere.

Blogahoy – (f) when you suddenly think of a blog title

Blogdarnit - (m) swearing politely on one's blog

Blogdoggle - (m) a blog which wasn't worth your time to read

Bloghowdy- (m) a friendly blog, welcoming you in a quaint way

Blogbreath - (m) a cutting remark from one computer savvy teen to another

Underblog - (m) 1) the meaning when reading between the blog lines, or 2) the uncharitable ruler of the realm of blogs

Innerblog - (m) the space where bloggers go to rejuvenateBettablog -(m) my blog's betta than your blog

Blogaboo - (m) a tiny blog fib, not meant to hurt anyone, easily fixed by acomment

Blogitol - (m) the perfect pick-me-up for those over 70 bloggers

Blogbump - (m) the little hitch in your blog that stalls you in mid-postBlogado - (m) a whirling, terrible storm of a blog that funnels you from Kansas to Oz in a heartbeat

Blogarama - (m) a wondrous explosion of blogs, so many that they encircle you

Blogoozled - (f) when you're forced into writing a blog

bloglodites – (m) prehistoric bloggers; they got in before it became popular

Blogpatter – (m) mindless blog speak that’s the equivalent of blah-blah-blah-blah.

Blogadoodledoo – (f) when you've written a great blog, you post it somewhere, and tell thewhole world to go and see how wonderful it is!

Voblogulary – (m) blog vocab words unique to the online format

Blogamentary – (m) an attempt to teach something in a blog, but because of the rambling format, a failed attempt

Blognabbit – (m) another sanitized blog swear word

Blognolia – (l) a blog entry that blooms into more than you expected when it started

Blogevity – (l) what a blog has when it keeps readers pulled in much longer than most

Blogarrhea – (l)a blog entry that goes on and on and on and...

Blognito – (m) those anonymous comments on your blog

Blogification – (m) the repetition of a sentiment so often in blogs that people accept it as fact

Blogjam – (m) too many blogs to read in one sitting

Blogazillion – (m) 1) an astronomical number of blogs, or 2) a common blog border color two shades lighter than vermillion

Blogitude - (m) the affectation of a highly charged emotion, as in his snarky blogitude leapt from the page

Blogestation – (m) the conception and development of a blog before its uploaded

Blogarithm – (m) a blog dealing with exponential shifts in thinking

Blogumbo – (m) a flavorful mix of southern culture, liberally spiced

Bloggle – (m) a disaster in progress

Blogatory – (m) the lower levels of blog world, ruled by the Underblog

Blogotomy – (m) brain reduction from reading blogs

Blogogram – (m) a singing blog

Blogic – (m) reasonable blog thinking

Bloggard – (m) someone drunk on the power of their own words

Unfortunately, it is very easy to continue to in this blogged vein, therefore we’re sending this off into cyberspace so that no one else will get any work done either! Feel free to post your own blexicon as a comment.

Maggie Toussaint
romance.danger.mystery
http://www.maggietoussaint.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheBookSpa/

Buzzed from a conference

Hi friends,

I've been remiss in getting over to SRNwrites this year. It seems like there is never enough time in the day. I'm catching up on several fronts today, but I had such a wonderful time at a conference this weekend, I thought I'd share.

I was invited to Murder in Magic City and Murder on the Menu, two companion conferences in Alabama. I accepted and boy am I glad I did. I met lots of wonderful authors and made some new reader friends as well. I am thrilled at the response to the conference and the enthusiasm with which folks bought my books. It was a major ego rush.

I was in great company. There were six well-known multi-pubbed mystery/suspense writers there: Carla Neggers, Peggy Webb, Kent Krueger, Cara Black, Vicki Lane, and Deborah Crombie. The rest of us were: Meredith Anthony, Jennie Bentley, Peggy Ehrhardt, Terry Griffin, Larry Light, Mary Jane Maffini, Vinny O'Neil, Deborah Sharp, Liz Zelvin, and me. What fun we all had.

And the cool thing is that on the first night of the conference, some of the readers went back to their rooms, looked me up on the internet, and friended me here there and yon. All those social networks are beginning to pay off!

Okay, you're probably sick of me gushing on about this, so I'll sign off. But picture me with a cheesy grin, all right?

Maggie Toussaint
romance.danger.mystery
www.maggietoussaint.com

Writing and procrastination

by Maggie Toussaint

Have you ever noticed that if you have a chore you don't particularly want to do that you procrastinate? Back when I had to iron my husband's dress shirts for his job, he'd get down to the last one before I broke out the ironing board. And I never actually hated ironing; it is restful in a busy sort of way. What I hated was getting out all the stuff, taking ten minutes on each shirt and losing an hour or two of my day on something that I had to repeat over and over again.

Dusting falls in that category for me. In fact, I'd rather clean the bathroom than dust. There have been many times that you could practically eat off my bathroom fixtures but draw your name in the dust on my bedside table. My point in mentioning this is that I never dreamed those wacky attitudes would spill into my writing.

I love writing. But there are parts of writing that require more effort from me, and I find myself backing off from the challenges when I'm pressed for time. Does this happen to you?

Now that I have writing projects in all stages of completion, I find myself spread thin. I'm still getting stuff written, but there's a sense I have of operating in crisis management mode, and as a result, the hard parts keep slipping by.

Multi-tasking works for some people. It works for me on everything but creative processes. I need chunks of morning time to be satisfyingly creative. I can't create with two loads of laundry going, phone calls from friends and bosses coming in, the TV blaring, and competing nonfiction stories from my day job dancing around in my head.

What to do? Protect your writing time like a precious newborn baby. Turn off the cell phone. Turn off the ringer in your office landline. Turn the internet off (oh no, not the internet!!!). Park yourself in the chair and get it done. The rest of the world can wait an hour or two.

Don't let busy-ness disrupt your writing time. It's still procrastination, no matter how you look at it. Make writing your priority, and even the hard parts will get done.

Happy writing!

Maggie Toussaint
Writer Wednesday with Maggie at the Spa
www.maggietoussaint.com

The Marketing Wheel - a learning curve post

There's no point in reinventing the wheel. How many times have you heard that line? I am forever trying to do things better, but I got caught up trying to reinvent the marketing wheel myself. I was such a bright eyed goober with my first release, blundering into every promotional opportunity I could find, especially the free ones. When book number two was released, I realised I'd made a colossal error. I hadn't kept track of things.

That's my topic today - keeping track of things. I recommend that writers, especially new ones, keep a generic time line of what to do when. Within that file, keep the addresses, the contact names, and the results if possible.

In case my meaning isn't clear, let's imagine a scenario where you book comes out in electronic format in March and print format in July. You have your cover and your galley before the book comes out, and you can't rest on your laurels. With each book you must make the rounds to let people know its out there. Develop your timeline of things based on your comfort level of activity. Here's a sample timeline I made up:

2 months before the book comes out: put your cover and release dates on your website
2 months out: schedule stops on virtual tour for both releases; write those posts now
2 months out: sign up for author days on Yahoo loops
2 months out: write up press releases for both electronic and print release
2 months out: if no ARCs, make some yourself and send to print reviewers
2 months out: see what conferences fit your release date and sign up, if feasible
1 month out: plan a contest to celebrate your book's release
1 month out: create an excerpt file, a list of snips from your book to use as teasers
1 month out: design and finalize promo items (bookmarks, chapbooks, etc)
1 month out: create a buzz about your book by putting the release date in your sig line
Electronic release: tell everyone! hold that contest! blitz the virtual tour sites
3 months before print release: send ARCs (publisher provided or homemade) to newspapers
3 months out: schedule the signings at stops on your book tour, book appearances locally
2 months out: talk up the release in your newsletter
2 months out: send out those promo items to generate buzz for your book
1 month out: post a pre-order link on your website
2 weeks before: reconfirm with book tour stops, chat the release up electronically
Print release: make those appearances

This is by no means exhaustive, and it will certainly be tailored to you and your schedule. Keep a list of those media contacts handy so that you can be successful with books 2, 3 and so on, without reinventing the wheel.

Happy marketing!

Maggie Toussaint
read, write, unwind at The Book Spa
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheBookSpa/
www.maggietoussaint.com

Deep POV- the mint to your book's julep

by Maggie Toussaint

Show of hands here: how many are guilty of serious headhopping in your earlier works or first drafts? (My hand goes up.) It's a problem I struggled with initially. Then I glommed onto POV nuances. I learned how to show the non-POV character's thoughts through their dialogue, behavior, or body language, as observed through the eyes of the POV character.

Along the way to writing prowess, authors learn when to use third person POV, first, and omniscient. Each POV sytle lends itself to various fiction genres. Some use omnisicent to show a larger view at the opening of a chapter/scene and then transition into the main POV style. Many romances traditionally use multiple third person POV, so that the reader can feel at ease in the heads of both the hero and heroine. By contrast, it is quite common for mysteries to be in first person POV, with the sleuth as the only POV character, though there are many exceptions within both romance and mystery genres.

In both third person and first person POV, there exists an opportunity for deep POV. In a third person POV scene, that transition may be signalled by the words he (she) thought or italics. In first person, no such transition is needed because the reader is already inside the head of the POV character. However, in my opinion, deep POV should be used with a light hand.

Case in point: A book I recently read written in first person POV had a heavy dose of deep POV. Consequently, I brooded along with the main character for pages upon pages. I experienced considerable anxiety about the story's direction and the author's mental health. This particular book was well written, and the deep POV wasn't presented as monologue, so there were no technical flaws, as in impedence of the story. Even so, it was dizzying and uncomfortable for me.

Writers want readers to feel connected to their books. But narrowing the lens of the story to deep POV, restricts the flow of information. To me it's like going on a long hike and only being able to stare down at your feet. As a reader, I want to sense more of the panorama of the setting. Being trapped inside someone's mind too long feels too limited, like a horse wearing blinders.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy deep POV, and I think it makes a story. For me, its most enjoyable when its done sparingly, like a sprig of mint in a mint julep.

What are your thoughts on deep POV? Do you notice it? Does it bother you?

Maggie Toussaint
romance.danger.mystery
www.maggietoussaint.com