My First Blog Chain Post!

I was lucky enough to be invited to become a member of a blog chain. This blog chain is made up of WRITERS!

These wonderful, like-minded individuals (yeah, I know I'm sucking up here...my regular blogger friends just keep a lid on it) are members of QueryTracker and also RallyStorm. They have several forums set up, (a romance writers critique group, blog chain group, and a general romance writers forum) that are by invitation only.

How cool is that????

If you are anything like me, you have no idea how a blog chain works. From what I understand so far, I will link to the last person in the chain who posted, http://www.colegibsen.blogspot.com/ Senshi....and then to the next person to post http://brimfire.livejournal.com/ Brimfire.

http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ GypsyGurl started this chain.

Kiddoc, http://hldyer.wordpress.com/ will pick the next topic and be posting soon, so go check her out!

Speaking of topics, this one is, "How real are your characters?". So here we go:

I have heard many writers can see/hear, sometimes even smell their characters (never smelled mine). When I started writing TCH, it wasn't to become published, or to write a book, it just evolved into the historical romance that it is now.

Originally, it was just to tell a story. A story that Margaret, my main character, was telling and showing me. Sounds a bit schizophrenic, huh? All of my characters speak to me, some more than others, of course.

One of my favorite characters was a complete surprise to me when he showed up. I was writing a scene towards the end of TCH, and Margaret sat in the garden, on a bench, alone. It was early morning, and I could see the swirl of fog covering the ground. Footsteps could be heard coming down the path, and a figure emerged from the wall of mist.

I typed as he made his way toward Margaret, describing the boots, the long overcoat, that swirled about him. Upward to the long dark blonde hair, chiseled jaw, intense stare...I was expecting Patrick, but instead it was one Duncan McCue (picture Fabio, add a Scottish accent, and NEVER EVER think of the word BUTTER....that's pretty darn close!) .

He will be my MC in the third book, and I so can't wait! I wanted him to be a pirate, but he had other ideas. He was a bit too honorable for that, but not quite so honorable that he wouldn't smuggle Scottish Whiskey to France, so the Brits couldn't tax it. So we both ended up happy over his chosen vocation.

Um, I guess, as you can see, my characters are very real to me. That is also a problem when you write. YOU know so much about them, that often while writing, you neglect to point things out that the reader may not know.

That's where crit groups come in! If they don't know your characters, or your story, it's easy for them to question the why, when, where, or how that you already know, but perhaps didn't convey well.

Okay, now I can't wait for my next topic! Be sure to check out the blog chain members, they are all great!

Unexcused Absence

I received an email today from one of my favorite blogger friends. She hadn't seen me around in a while, both here and on other's blogs that I normally post daily on. I think she thought I had fallen off the face of the earth!

The truth is, I've been so very busy! I joined two new writer's crit groups, which I LOVE! I have also joined a blog chain of writers (more on that later).

I started back on revisions for TCH (yes, AGAIN). I also started a ....drum roll please....DIET!

In 38 plus years, I have never been on a diet! It's not that I haven't needed to, I just never really cared. I earned every hail damage mark on my thighs I tell ya! And so what if I won't wear a bathing suit...EVER. But then my husband, Mr. I've had two heart attacks, decided to lose the extra weight. I know from experience that it's really hard to stick to ANYTHING without support. And....since he always supports me when I write, instead of cleaning or doing laundry (as long as I don't make a habit of it, mind you), then I decided to support him.

Now, you might think this is an easy thing to do. Let me tell you....IT'S SO NOT! I had to give up my Pepsi (which I drank a 2 liter a day), and NO CHOCOLATE! That's right, I love my husband enough to give up the two things that keep me up all hours of the night doing what I love....writing!

So, now I am cranky, tired as hell, but I have only cheated the first night (ate a cold piece of pizza at midnight, cause I was STARVING). Today marks one full week. I get a slice of cheese and a slice of lunch meat (yummy Cajun turkey) at lunch and at dinner. THAT'S IT! Well, I can have pickles and mustard with it, and certain veggies. But NO CARBS....

I hope he knows how much I am sacrificing for him...Mounds, with it's creamy coconut, Reese's with the mixture of peanut butter and chocolate mmmm, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate covered cherries....OMG this SUCKS!

Okay, on top of food deprivation, and a VERY active writing life, we also have the start of not only high school and jr. high school football (which both oldest daughters have to attend, one being on the pom squad, the other a football manager), but we have SOONER FOOTBALL!

For those of you who don't follow NCAA football, OU (the University of Oklahoma) is going to have a banner year. My husband predicts (and I do concur), that we will play for the National Title this year. Yes, people, OU is just THAT good!

On that note, I will end this, as I have work to catch up on, and a Diet Pepsi Max (ick) calling my name.

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

The biggest lesson that I have learned from Authoress's latest contest is this:

DON'T OVER-EDIT!
That was a big one. I had what I considered a really good scene, but when you submit 250 words, it only shows an itty bitty part of that scene. So what did I do? Try and squeeze as much as I could into 250 words, editing down until I completely messed up the flow of the story. STUPID! Note to self...don't do that again!

Since I have now stopped banging my head on the desk, I will also add that I learned more from the contest, as I usually do. You can really tell the difference between people who crit your work by what they read and/or write.

The comments from those unfamiliar with Historical Romance really made some false assumptions based on a "preconceived notion" that characters and plots were all the same. They aren't...just like with any other genre, they vary according to the writer. I had one comment that stated:
"Why is it that half of the historical fiction out there focuses on a girl behaving unseemly? The men are wealthy, rakish, and handsome and all the girls just dying to kick their knickers off."

Now, while I appreciate the time this writer spent to read and give me feedback, it's hard for me to understand how he/she could make that assumption. If a girl crawling around a garden, at her OWN home, trying to repair damage that she inadvertently caused by a practical joke gone awry, means that she is "dying to kick off her knickers", I missed something. Of course the men are handsome and rakish...it's a romance novel! Wealthy? Not my guy...another wrong assumption. They shouldn't be PERFECT!

I don't want to appear ungrateful, because I love feedback, even when I don't agree with it. It makes me look at the writing to see how that assumption could be made if it's inaccurate. On the same token, I'm not going to sweat it if a few people don't "get it" or flat out don't like the work. ***Not everyone will think I am the creative genius that I claim to be!

So back to revisions again! Another benefit from these contests...MOTIVATION!

***If you didn't receive the email, newspaper clipping, or see the billboard by the highway...SORRY! I will tell you now...I am freaking brilliant! (j/k)

:) Terri

New Hook The Agent Contest!

Over at Authoress's blog http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/, she has another agent that has volunteered to judge her "Hook the Agent" contest. I LOVE these contests, not because I think I'll win, but because of all the GREAT feedback you get.

The last contest was quite an eye-opener. Who knew cliches were so BAD? Uh, I guess every writer EXCEPT me! That is pretty darn good info to have, if you are pursuing writing as seriously as I am, heck, even if you write for fun I suppose that's good to know.

This time around, I used the first page (revised, edited and edited again, of course) of chapter one, instead of the prologue. Now any of my regular "blogger friends" will know immediately which post is mine (hint: I was REALLY anxious and sent that puppy in FAST...they are numbered in the order she received them), as it will have the title (which I have mentioned more times than I can count on my blog) and also that it is a Historical Romance.

The submissions will be posted tomorrow (Wednesday), and if you guys want to stop by, there are some really great writers that submit (only 25 this time), and they all LOVE these things as much as I do!

:) Terri

I am a HORRIBLE Blogger!

I know that I have been sorely lacking in any decent blogger posts, but I honestly had very little to say.....uh, let me rephrase that. I had very little that I felt "blog-worthy" to say.

I finally decided that I would just ramble on a bit, as I tend to in "real life".

I started writing another book. It's not the second book in my series. It's actually a satire (think Dave Berry or Erma Bombeck). I have it outlined and well into 3 chapters.

I also have a few short stories that I am working on for various contests/publications.

My second Gede story was published and came out this month, although that didn't hold near the excitement for me as the first one did.

School has started and I have most of the day to myself. IT IS FABULOUS!

I still have a TON of revisions to do on The Crichton Heir.

I still have in no way, shape or form perfected a query letter, much less a synopsis.

I research agents and read their blogs gleaming any tid bit of info that I can.

***Every once in a while, I post something that is understandable.

:) Terri

***The last post was a Lazy Bloggers Post Creator...I really didn't write it. I had a friend comment that she didn't understand anything I had written. I suppose I didn't make it clear enough that I was merely playing around!

I am in a contest!!!!

Okay, I sent my first page of The Crichton Heir in to Authoress's blog http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ for a contest. It is being judged by "SECRET AGENT". Comments will be posted on each submission (There were 113 submissions). I am # 78, although the submissions are anonymous. The name of the contest is "ARE YOU HOOKED". When leaving comments, you start out with a YES or a NO (answering whether you are hooked, cute, huh?).

I will be like LiteralDan who unabashedly begged for votes for his blog when he was up for "Best Daddy Blog", which he won BTW (I only voted EVERY day throughout the WHOLE contest...ahem One-Eyed Dan, I'll trade in my tote bag for a REALLY nice comment on #78).

But seriously folks, this is another great learning tool. Please be honest when posting ANY comments. The judging won't be based on comments, the "SECRET AGENT" picks the winner based on his/her own criteria, I'm sure, so feel free to give me any and all constructive criticism!

:) Terri

Excerpt from Chapter 5 revisions

Okay, amid the ween and vajayjay comments on the last post, I did actually get chapter 5 done.

I have been rewriting my first half a dozen chapters or so, because they SUCKED. I am almost ready to tie back into what I originally wrote, which will hopefully make revisions go faster.

I decided that I would share an excerpt from this last chapter, so here it is...feel free to be honest if you see something that you think sucks or doesn't sound right.

Copyright 2008 Terri Rainer

Excerpt from The Crichton Heir (first kiss from our hero/heroine):

Stepping forward, Patrick kneeled next to Margaret. As he reached his hand out to feel for any sign of life, he watched her eyes fly open.

Margaret thought she must be dreaming. She knew she had drifted to sleep by the loch. She often dozed in the afternoon sun in her secluded retreat. What a sweet dream she was having. There above her he hovered, his eyes staring intently down at her from his tanned face. His hair was no longer restrained in his queue, but fell around his shoulders in dark waves.

Margaret reached out to stroke his face. She wrapped her hand into his hair and gently pulled him toward her, determined to kiss Sir Patrick Graham.

Patrick was powerless to resist. The feel of Margaret’s soft hand brushing his face and then tangling in his hair completely undid him. His body responded involuntarily. All he could think of was how sweet this angel would taste. Feeling like a man lost in the desert, coming upon an oasis, Patrick leaned down to drink greedily.

The moment their lips touched, Margaret felt her body respond in ways she could never have imagined. His lips were soft. She could feel his ragged breathing. A shock ran down her spine as she felt the warm firmness of his tongue. It slid across her lips, parting them. Tentatively, Margaret relaxed her lips, and moaned into Patrick’s mouth as her tongue twined with his. Patrick pressed his weight onto Margaret and she felt as though her whole body was on fire.

Margaret felt Patrick’s hand burn a path up her side and stop on her breast, slowly kneading it. Her senses had never been this alive before, so alive, that she froze. Her eyes flew open again and she pushed hard against Patrick’s chest, appalled that she had in fact not been dreaming.

When he fell backwards, she sat up and glared at him.
“How dare ye take advantage of me in such a way!” Margaret said, trying to catch her breath.

Patrick stared at her dumbfounded. He felt the heat rise into his face. Trying hard to keep his anger in check, he managed to growl, “I wasna the one who dragged you down on top of me, for the second time today, if ye will recall.”


Terri