Ok, I’m a sucker for some romance and love.  I can’t help it.  Give me a chick flick over an Oscar winner any day of the week.

As such, writing about love is one of my favorite things to do.  I get a thrill out of watching a relationship unfold and go through all of the awkward and goofy stages, through the intense beginnings of a real romance, and then watch it settle into a mature and timeless love. 

It’s funny because I find myself giggling and getting giddy right along with my characters as they develop a crush or have that first kiss with someone.  It is challenging to try and make it authentic without being over the top. 

I write YA, so teenagers do get that intense, hormone-ridden attack when they first dive into a relationship, so it’s hard to show that without making the character seem vapid or immature.  By the same token, you have to give credit to teenagers and their emotions – they know how they feel and don’t want anyone to tell them otherwise.  I’ve had a crush on my husband since I was thirteen years old and we’ve been dating since I was sixteen, so at least I feel I can relate to a real teenage love.  I did have experiences that I thought were love at the time, but now realize belong in a different pocket, so I can use that, too. 

I also enjoy showing love in a nonromantic way too, such as between a parent and a child.  I think it’s an important element in a piece of writing and one that really needs to be done justice.  I think this has gotten a bit easier since becoming a parent because you don’t quite get a grasp on how much your parents love you until you are one yourself.  I know I didn’t, anyway. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

The rest of the AW Blog Chain:

Aimeelaine – www.aimeelaine.com/writing/blog
Harri3tspy – http://spynotes.wordpress.com
Charlotte49ers – http://www.amandaplavich.com
AuburnAssassin – http://clairegillian.wordpress.com/ <– Next!
Breddings – http://boozingear.com/blog
*RomanceWriter* – http://staceyespino.blogspot.com/
Claire Crossdale – http://theromanticqueryletter.blogpost.com
Collectonian – http://collectonian.livejournal.com
FreshHell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com
Lostwanderer5.blogspot.com – http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com
David Zahir – http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/

So, seeing as how I’m new at this whole writing bit and all, there have been various things that have happened that I didn’t expect.

Here is the one that hit me in the last day or so: I don’t want the twist revelations to happen.

I have SO much fun building the suspense, tension, mystery, etc. that I don’t want it to end.  I mean, I have a bunch of twists and turns to still come about, but this was the first biggie that I’ve hit.  I didn’t write it for days because I just didn’t want to.  Isn’t that silly?  I’ll never finish a book if I don’t, you know, write it. :/

That’s it. 

You were expecting something mind-blowing, weren’t you?  Sorry to disappoint. ;-)

Why, yes!  Yes, I do!

Do you have anything else you’d like to know?  I signed up for my own Formspring page!  Woot!  You can ask me anything you want and you can even do it anonymously.  However, I won’t answer anything inappropriate, ya weirdos. 

And I also have some exciting news (for me).  I’m closing in on the half-way mark with my current WIP (the first draft, anyway).  YAY!!!!  And I’m finally figuring out some of the plot elements that were eluding me, so that’s a happy place for me.

And, in less than three days, I will be in the mountains with four other writerly friends for an all girls, kick booty, writing weekend.  I can’t WAIT!  Be prepared for pictures, silliness, and all around insanity.  Hopefully, we will actually get some writing done.  I need to focus.

Oh my goodness…that hurts my eyes so badly.

Let’s talk about a writer’s inner stalkerness.

I coined that phrase by the way. Totally copyrighted and trademarked. Trust me.

You stare with doe eyes at your object’s twitter feed. Most likely, this is a person whom you’ve never met before. You religiously click on blogs to gather as much information as you possibly can. Some of you brave souls even try to befriend on Facebook (which is a little weird…don’t do that – know your stalker etiquette).

What am I talking about? No, not trailing the smokin’ hot guy (or girl depending on your preference) that you check out at the gym every.single.day – though some of you may do this with them, too, but seriously…that’s clinical.

I’m talking about our agent obsession. We can’t fix what we don’t acknowledge, right (shout out Dr. Phil)?

So, in the way of Goldilocks, what is “just right” in terms of agent stalking?

From what I’ve gathered from various tweets, articles, etc. during my own stal…er…research, these are the acceptable (and encouraged) forms of stalking:

- Follow and comment on their blogs (because let’s be honest – more blog followers = more queries = increase in possibility of finding awesomeness)

- Follow them on twitter (you can see them, but they don’t have to see you): you can @reply them, but don’t expect a response (this means do NOT get your panties in a bunch and go all: @NathanBransford You dirty bum! Tweet me back!! Tweet me back!!) <– that is crossing the writer stalkerness lines

- Make sure you read up on their submission guidelines, likes, and recent sales on their respective websites or places like Publishers Marketplace (http://www.publishersmarketplace.com) before you query

However, DO NOT, under ANY circumstance pitch to an agent in any way other than how they’ve specifically stated. No one is going to magically pluck you from the world of Twitter stalkerdom and sign you. It’s just not realistic, so be responsible with your stalking.

And lastly, be nice. No one likes a pompous turd @replying them every second or just being a fungus to the world in general. 

For Christmas, I really wanted a Moleskine journal. I’m not sure anyone understood why because, well, it’s blank paper.  BUT, my mother came through and bought it for me – which I had an idea she would because she called me the other day and said, “So, if you were going to buy a journal for someone, would you buy the three pack of smaller ones or the one bigger one?”

I got the bigger one. ;-)

Why am I talking about this, you may ask? Until this point, I’ve done all brainstorming, writing, etc. on the computer. Last night was the first time I’d actually taken pen to paper to forumlate ideas. I’d been struggling because I knew I had some glaring plot holes and I couldn’t figure out how to fix them. Well, within 15 minutes I had all of them sewn up, just by writing it down, playing with different things, etc. It was so empowering!

So my suggestion to anyone who may be stuck is to write it out – not type it out. It really helped me, anyway!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Time to start thinking about those 2010 resolutions!

This is something that has been plaguing me lately.  Mostly, because I’ve hit that moment of panic where I think, “I’m spending hours on this…what if I’m awful?!”

So, yeah.  That’s where I’m at.  Do I think I suck really bad?  No, but am I talented?  No idea.  Does anyone really know?  I’m honestly writing my stories for pure entertainment, but if someone else decides they like them and wants to publish them, then I’ll be thrilled. 

However, as I’ve entered into the writing world and have started learning a lot about it, I’ve started putting pressure on myself.  I get nervous because I don’t feel like my stories are as clever as some, nor do I think my descriptions are as eloquently described as others.  But is that all there is?

Really, I just need to chill, but it does make me think – what is it really that makes someone good at this?  Is it the ability to create worlds, extensive language and vocabulary, voice, all of the above, a little bit of some, what?   

What if you are strong in one area, but severely deficient in another.  Are you completely out of luck?

*Insecure rant over – here’s hoping I can look back on this post and laugh while I’m on my way to pimp my book on Letterman*

I love me a book with some good sexual tension.  It’s an important piece of Vintage and I could really use some books with good examples of it.  You know…all in the name of research.

I want it to build to the point where you want to shake the book and scream, “Just DO something already!!!”  But then, I don’t want it to drag on so long that it’s just frustrating.  The happy balance.

I can’t stand when people are all up on each other two chapters in, but I also can’t stand a constant cat and mouse game.  So much to consider!

So, any suggestions?  Comments?  Just feel like saying, “Wud up?”

Side note, my child is so adorable when he wants something.  He looks up at you with those big blue peepers and says, “Pwwweeeesseee!”  Who could say no to that?

My writing has been a process.  I started out slow as Christmas, then I hit my writing stride and started pumping out words, ideas, etc.  Then – I stopped.

Argh!  I’m in my seventh chapter itch or whatever!  It’s not that I want to stop writing and move onto something else, really (though I do have flashes of that), it’s just that I know where I want to go, but I can’t decide how to get there. 

I’m pleased with the bones that I’ve laid down in the previous chapters (it’s a first draft, so its all crap, but the ideas make me happy and I know pretty much what I need to change for my second draft).  The problem lies in what the heck to do next! 

I open up my word document and just stare at it.  I might write a paragraph or two and then it’s like a deer staring into the headlights. 

Der.  No clue what to write.  I’m stizuck.

I guess this is that whole writers block thing, huh?  It’s just frustrating because I know where I want to take it, but the middle of this story is giving me fits!  I’m beginning to get flashes of ideas, so hopefully I’ll start working my way out of it.

So seventh chapter itch or slump or whatever – I’m in it.

It would make me happier if I could make it cool like Marilyn.

So, I just finished the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series.  I loved the range of emotions that I felt throughout it: suspense, tension, fear, happiness, sadness, one of those “holy crap” moments, etc.

Now, is this series without flaw?  No, of course not, but those emotions that the writer leads you to feel make a story great, in my opinon.  I think it’s one of the magical keys to leaving a reader wanting more.

So it got me thinking.  Will my story do that?  I know I don’t want it to be a total rollercoaster where the reader feels drained at the end of it, but will it have those bumps at the right times to hit the reader hard?  I have some things laid out in my head, but I hope that they translate on paper.

So basically, I’m rambling, but it was a reminder of the emotional element I want my readers to feel. :-)