Wednesday, August 22, 2012

CHANGE OF PLANS - Not actually going to DragonCon

Well, after hearing that a bunch of my fans aren't going AND I'm not on any panels, I've decided to just throw in the towel on DragonCon this year. If you were coming and planning on seeing me, I'm very sorry to flake, but I just can't justify the expense. T__T Contact me here and I'll make sure you get something to make it up to you!

Again, NOT going to DragonCon. So sorry for the last second change. I kept trying to make it work, but it clearly just wasn't meant to be.

I promise to do more cons in the future! Thanks everyone!

-R

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Writing Relationships

Sorry about the lack of updates. I have been wholly and delightfully eaten by edits (and if you think the blog's been neglected, you should see my house. We're going to be eating off paper plates by tomorrow.)

Last night, however, I hit a block. The pivotal emotional scene of my novel was just not working, and nothing I could do seemed to make it work. So, I did what I always do when I am despairing over scenes, I messaged fellow writer Kalayna Price, author of the fantastic Grave Witch series and all around best person. (This is one of the unsung amazing perks of being a writer, you get to be friends with other really freaking good writers!)

Now, one thing you have to understand about Kalayna if you haven't read her stuff yet is that she writes some of the best emotional knots and you will ever read (also, the sexiest, sweetest, absolute best love scenes). The scene in question was a confrontation between my hero and heroine who are having, shall we say, a bit of a rocky turn in their relationship, and since Kalayna is one of the best relationship writers I know, I turned to her for some expert advice on how to make the scene gripping and emotional without being overwrought.

Okay, so I'm paraphrasing. My actual question involved way more swear words and T__T emoticons. But, as usual, Kalayna came through with brilliance.

Kalayna: Just close your eyes and imagine what needs to happen until you have the right sized grin is on your face.

And this, folks, is why I bug her all the time. Just like that, I realized what was wrong. I couldn't make the scene work because I'd gotten so caught up in getting things right I'd forgotten what the scene was about. The most important part of this exchange wasn't the details or the plot or even the revelation of information. It was the people. Two people who love each other a lot but who are having a really hard time. Two people I love, and love to write, and it took another writer to remind me of that.

So there you are, I am spreading Kalayna's trade secrets all over the internet. Use them for awesome! And read her books, they're bestsellers for a reason.

Back to editing!