The 4 W's of author Jodi Vaughn

Author Jodi Vaughn gives the Peas the a run down of her book VEILED SECRETS!

 

WHO is Celeste Hart?

Celeste is a misfit that is desperately trying to find her place in the world. She has always felt invisible and never fit in. She values family, and honor, and kindness above all else. She has a quiet strength and steel resolve that accentuate her true beauty. When she discovers her Fae blood, she must hone her power to fight the evil that is coming.

WHAT can a reader expect from VEILED SECRETS?

Loveable characters, dark paranormal plot and sexy romance that will keep the reader turning the page.

Author Jodi Vaughn

WHERE will the readers find the book?

VEILED SECRETS is available at:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble

HOW can we find Jodi Vaughn?

Check out her blog! 

Follow her on Twitter: @JodiVaughn1

And Facebook

Guest Pod: K. D. Wood on Critique Partners and Groups

Today we have a special guest here Inside the Pod. M sat down with author K. D. Wood and asked her a few probing questions. Here is what K. D. had to say...

The day I finished my first manuscript was one of the most amazing, terrifying, exhilarating and confusing days of my life. It is also a moment that is forever burned into my brain because I remember staring at the screen and thinking, now what?

Unfortunately back then, I wasn’t pals with many writers. I just wrote for the pure thrill of putting that first story on the page and giving it life. Confused by my research and desperate to know where my story stood, I decided to start the submission process after only two revisions.

Nineteen rejection letters later, it was glaringly obvious I needed a new approach to my manuscript. I started reaching out and connecting with other writers. This led me to understand just how important finding great critique partners can be for a work in progress.

After actually finishing the manuscript, finding a critique partner or critique group is the life’s blood of all your future revisions.

Why?

Because just letting your mama/best friend/spouse read your manuscript won’t help move your manuscript or your writing forward. Your family loves you. They want you to be happy. This means unless your family/friend reader works in the publishing industry they are going to tell you that your book is AMAZING. That the story is the best thing they have ever read.

They are going to tell you what they think you want to hear because that’s what people who love you do.  Now that I’ve ripped that band aid off.

I. How do you go about finding a critique partner or group?

There are many, many different options for finding other writers. But first, you have to decide which platform will work better for your personality. Face to face interactions or online. If you want to mingle with other writers in person, start locally. Look for writers groups for your particular genre. My own group River City Romance Writers I discovered while partaking in another resource. I heard about RCRW while attending MidsouthCon in Memphis, TN. Writer’s retreats, conventions, library groups, book clubs, coffee shops and book signings are all great places to meet other writers.

Recently, I got to know a few writers who have a hard time in social situations due to Aspergers. Though working hard on their novels, they struggle with interacting in social settings. If that’s a hurdle you also face, there are online communities for writers too, and one in particular is Bookcountry. Facebook is packed with writers. I’ve made some amazing writers pals participating in #WordWar on twitter too.

And let’s say after you take this crucial first step, you hit writer’s gold and meet someone or a group of people you want to hang out and talk writing with. There are several very important questions you need to consider.

II. What do you want to accomplish as a member of a critique group or with your new critique partner?

If you and your new potential writing pals are not on the same page about goals, conflicts will arise very fast. So you need to ask the questions that are most important to your writing goals. Communication, communication, communication.

III. Are you writing as a hobby or on the road to publication?

These two things are very different and can make or break a potential relationship. If you’re pounding away on your novel, preparing for submissions, churning out those word counts every day, you need to make sure your future critique partners are in it to win it also. Otherwise, you’ll just end up frustrated because your goals are so different.

One of the best ways to make sure you don’t run into this issue is to ask this question of yourself.

IV. Are you setting realistic critique goals for your group or partnership?

Let’s face it. Life is extremely busy. We all have stuff to do whether it’s jobs, family, kids or laundry. There are a million things to be done every day. When you have these initial conversations with your potential critique partner or partner it’s a question you need to address. If you’re a full time writer, pounding out those words eight hours a day but your potential partner has a twelve hour shift at the hospital, there will have to be some extreme specifics in time management ironed out for both sides to be happy with the partnership. And even with a situation like this, if your personalities and writing style are so in sync, anything is possible if you work hard enough to find a middle ground.

Now for those more uncomfortable questions.

V. Will your potential critique partners be willing to call you out on accountability when you start being a big old whiner-pants?

This is the part of finding critique partners that involves making sure you’re compatible as friends first. As a critique partner you need someone who is able to tell you to pull your head out of your ass without crushing your spirit but who also won’t let you get away with whining and when you don’t have your pages for the week completed. Someone who is bleeding on the keyboard the same way you are, who can understand when you break down and want to shred your latest revision and just how crappy that feels. Finally, there is one VERY important step to helping you move forward in your writing and finding a critique partnership.

IF YOU’R BOOK ISN’T FINISHED, MAKE FINISHING YOUR MANUSCRIPT A PRIORITY – Everyone’s time is valuable. Joining a critique group and not having your pages complete for meetings or delivering a stinging critique to someone who is working on their 11^th draft when you haven’t even reached the first END on your own is disrespectful to your friends and the time they are investing in your work. Everyone in your new group needs to be pulling his or her weight, so don’t you be the straggling zombie shambling behind everyone else. Write the very best book you can. That way, you will be open to all the hard work that comes with diving into a new revision with lots of great ideas from your new critique partners.

K.D. Wood lives in north Mississippi with her husband, two boys and one very bad puppy. She writes Young Adult and New Adult Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Visit her on Facebook (K.D. Wood) and follow her on twitter @KDWoodauthor

Guest Pod: The Appeal of Horror by Dean Harrison

Today in the Pod, my long time friend and colleague, Dean Harrison agreed to share a post about the appeal of horror. With the my upcoming attendance to the Horror Writer's Association annual conference this June, it only seemed fitting. -M


 The Appeal of Horror by Dean Harrison

“Why do you write scary stuff? Why not write something the whole family can read? Why can’t you write something nice and happy? Why don’t you write a children’s book?”

Those are a sample of questions about my fiction that I have fielded from relatives over the years and is not surprising.

Many in the mainstream don’t understand the appeal of horror as a genre. They turn their noses up at it and label it as nothing more than garbage lacking in value, and void of any insight into the human condition. They believe it offers nothing but cheap thrills, blood, gore and sex, and  that it teaches no moral lessons beneficial to society.

But if they look beyond the onslaught of splatter-punk and Stephenie Meyer novels, they might find their negative perception of the genre to be wrong. From William Shakespeare to Stephen King, storytellers for centuries have used their talent to shine a light on the darkness within us all, a darkness which some in the mainstream are too afraid to face.
   
In horror, a character is put in a situation where they must confront their worst fear or else suffer a terrible fate, such as death. Those kinds of stories reflect the good and the bad of human nature, and expose what human beings are capable of when thrust into extreme situations, and the heroic acts they perform when pushed to the brink. I strive to illustrate this in my fiction, and so do the countless others who write within the genre.
   
Horror evokes a visceral, emotional response and an intense and prolonged feeling of fear. It is one of the oldest forms of storytelling, according to Michael West, author of The Wide Game.
  
What makes [horror] relevant today, West said in a Facebook interview, is its ability to help us “deal with our own fears, to explore the human condition, real world problems, and injustices through allegory, and to continue to provide a safe outlet for our emotions.”
   
Horror stories, in essence, are character studies. Just look at such writers as Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door), Brian Keene (The Rising), and J.F. Gonzalez (Survivor). You will find stories of human beings forced to rise up and confront evil, to fight for the survival of those they love and the things they care about. Even classics written by the likes of William Faulkner (Sanctuary), Robert Louis Stevenson (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray) have something to say about the dark side of human nature.
   
Some people say we as humans are inherently good, but we all have a bad side. According to Ty Schwamberger, editor of Fell Beasts, it is that bad side that comes out when we watch the news “or almost marvel at the destruction that some madman caused on the highway.”
   
Michael Knost, editor of Legends of the Mountain State: Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia, has a slightly different view of horror, and why it holds such appeal. He says it’s actually beneficial to our mental health.
   
“Horror is the only literary genre that focuses on the excitements of fear, fright, terror, apprehension and dread,” Knost said. “It is a genre that takes on the goal of making its reader actually feel one of the variants of this emotion.”
  
And because of the emotional elements involved, Knost said we shouldn’t surprise ourselves with the “mass appeal for these particular styles of literature and cinematic experiences.”
   
“After all,” Knost continued, “the majority of our emotions are processed by our brain's limbic system. When endorphins reach the opioid receptors of the highly emotional limbic system, we experience pleasure and a sense of satisfaction.”
   
According to Knost, that means horror emotions are created by endorphins, which give us pleasure, much like those from breathing, sexual satisfaction and hunger.
   
“Taking all this into consideration,” Knost concluded, “the horror genre is very important to our mental well being, keeping us emotionally stable and as far from depression as possible.”
         
Elizabeth Massie, author of Wire Mesh Mothers, believes horror is “dread to the nth degree, a state of being that in the first moment of its emergence replaces everything else in the human heart and mind.”
   
“And in this brutal moment,” Massie said, “some of the most powerful stories of human strength, weakness, compassion, cruelty, courage, and love can be born.”

According to Massie, good horror fiction deals with the most basic of human emotions. Stripping away the fluff of the ordinary day-to-day, it gets “down, dirty, dangerous and gritty to see how characters will either face up to or run from their circumstance.”
   
When done well, Massie concluded, horror can offer “insight into who we are, why we act as we do, and the quite beautiful desire humans often have to come together and unite with each other against the direst of situations.”
       
Horror can also have a mix of other genres such as romance, comedy and action all in the same story, said Thomas A. Erb, editor of Death Be Not Proud.

“It is not all about the blood splatter,” Erb said. “It is about fear--internal and external.” He added that everyone loves to be scared.
  
 “I believe it is in the human condition to wonder about the unknown and to love to fear it,” he continued. “If we can’t explain it, we will let our devious little imaginations create far greater and vile things that truly exist at the bottom of the lake or dank basement of our house.”
   
Erb also believes that we as a race need to have fear.  “Fear of anything. It is through fear that we truly live.”

“When we read or watch a truly terrifying book or film, we live vicariously through those characters,” Erb concluded.

And it’s when we feel the panic and horror of losing what we have in our lives that we find value in it.

***You can find more on Dean Harrison at his website.
He's also done some previous posts with us: THESE UNQUIET BONES and an interview.

Next time, a Game Pod with me and G. Fun times will be had!

Guest Reader Interview: Twelve Questions with Melissa Garrison

Welcome to the reader interview roundtable. I’ve accosted and bribed several people I know, pressuring them into answering a list of questions that I could then turn into Reader Interviews for your (my imaginary readers) joyful consumption. I hope you enjoy the journey. I certainly have.
 
First on the roster is Melissa Garrison. She and I have been friends and fellow book nuzzlers for almost twenty years.

M: What kind of a reader do you consider yourself?

Melissa: I consider myself to be a “non-academic/eclectic” reader. I don’t read for the edification of my intellect but the delight of my soul. I read for the mere ability to be transported into a different time and place. I read to gain a different view of the world. I read to adventure. I read to travel on wings of fancy… literally to indulge in a few minutes of gleeful escape from reality.
 
M: What kinds of books do you read and why?
 
Melissa: I read all kinds of books but most specifically I find myself reading Young Adult Fiction and Paranormal Romance. These kinds of books engage the reader in a different sort of adventure. YA books are generally written for the ADHD person in us all. They generally have suspenseful plots and move quickly. They suck you in from the first line of the book and you are riveted to the storyline. They also reveal a little of us all in their characters. YA books expose what being a young adult is and all of us see something of ourselves in the characters they present. They give word to the unique struggles of adolescence and vindicate our own experiences. Paranormal Romance is a category of writing that is so far out of reality it allows the reader to take a little vacation without leaving the living room. It puts words to the indescribable joy of falling in love with a guilty pleasure… sometimes it’s literally falling in love with a different species. It pushes the boundaries of conventional thinking. It makes you wonder: what if shape-shifters really exist? What if vampires really do live next door? It gives the mind more to ponder than, "Who killed the butler?"

M: As a reader, what do you expect out of the author and the story you are reading?

Melissa: Entertainment and adventure! I expect them to take me for a ride -- give me many different possibilities. But I don’t want the eventuality revealed until I’m on pins and needles. I guess I want the thrill ride of not knowing how it all will end.

M: How has the eBook revolution changed the way you read and how you buy books?

 
Melissa: It hasn’t. I still like the feel of a book. I like the way they smell, look, and I like that I can open one and immediately have a story. I don’t have to wait for it to “boot up” or download. A trip to the library or bookstore is an absolute thrill for me. Decorating with books is my main form of interior design for my house and office!

M: What makes you pick up a book or author you've never read before?

 
Melissa: The first line. I want to write more here but that is ultimately what hooks me. The front cover may get me to pick the book up but the first line will tell me if I want to read that book or not. What will keep me reading is the advancement of the plot and the changes to the characters. There is a fine balance between adventure and plodding along with no particular direction.

M: With so many books to read, why do you choose the books you do?

Melissa: I like an adventure, an escape from reality! My job is extremely stressful and an immediate break from the stresses of the day is provided for me in these kinds of books. I also, guiltily, think of these kinds of books as candy because they are not overly verbose or hard to read. They don’t make you guess what characters are thinking but tell you up front.

M: List the five books that stick with you and tell why they do.

 
Melissa:

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- Not one single word is wasted. This book is a thrill ride from the title page to the last word of the book. I literally read the entire book in one sitting. It made me realize what an impact a good, suspenseful, interesting book could make on a young child. I am currently making the sixth graders at my school read all three of these books...they are so excited about it! 90 percent of all the students in that grade are making progress toward their reading goals…that is impressive!
2. The Secret Garden Helped me realize others long for a secret place of retreat a spot that only a few know about. This was the first book that helped me "see" things in my head... my imagination was sparked by the copious amounts of detail and things a child would notice. The dialect of the dialogue made it difficult to read but it helped to paint the picture of the setting.
3. The Princess Bride “As you wish!” This book was the most non-traditional book! It started with a narrator telling me what was going on and there was a sick boy whose grandfather was telling him a fabulous tale. During the “story” part of the book the boy would often interrupt and ask questions about the plot. It was most “non-traditional” and it really stuck with me. This was also the first time I realized that reading a book could be a funny experience!
4. Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L’Engle This is a beautiful book about a teenager finding love, experiencing loss and discovering a psychic power to communicate with dolphins. L’Engle blends several subplots brilliantly while keeping the girl’s experience in the forefront. The reason this book sticks with me is the feelings and emotions that she describes are feelings that I have felt; emotions I have experienced. My favorite scene is of all the children in the attic of their grandfather’s house (an old barn converted into a home) and they are all on their cots watching the lighthouse light illuminate the wall, they hear the waves crashing on the beach and soft conversation of their parents… yet they each feel emptiness. It is a beautiful book.
5. The Giver and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry both stuck with me because I couldn’t believe that there were people so cruel and villainous. These books presented a very real evil facing the characters and it has stuck with me because I would hope to have the courage that they did to take a stand for what is right.
6. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko was a brilliant book about the children (yes, children) that lived on Alcatraz. The main character’s sister was autistic. Without giving away the plot, this book made me stop and think about how people with special needs are often left out of books or painted in a way that isn’t complimentary. The author did a beautiful job of creating a character that had special needs but was made to feel like part of the community.

M: Some people read, some people don't -- why do you think you ended up becoming a reader?

Melissa: I am curious. Curiosity killed the cat but it made me a reader…what other way do you find information out? I love to know little tidbits of trivia. I love to know what makes things work. I love to know stuff. More than just knowing “stuff” I love to be taken on an adventure. I was not a reader until I read The Secret Garden. I identified with the characters but at the same time I began to picture what the characters saw. This made a world of difference!

M: What makes a book disappointing to you? And have you ever read a book that surprised you, one you didn't expect to like but did?

 
Melissa: Long, wordy, overly descriptive books are disappointing. Books with movement in the plot for no reason (e.g. Iron Daughter has a lot of movement but for no apparent reason. I am on page 132 and I still don’t know why the girl had to go to Faery). The Boy with the Striped Pajamas was a very surprising book to me. It was simple but poignant. I knew that the potential for a plot twist like the one in the book existed but I never thought it would end the way it did. Since I read for “non-academic” purposes I sometimes blow past clues to things like that. I think it also bothered me that the plausibility of the plot was surprisingly feasible. A little boy is common sense’s worse enemy. I could really see that happening. That in itself was so surprising.

M: Do you judge a book by its cover?

 
Melissa: I try not to but I admit there are some covers that I seem to like more than others. I’m drawn to covers that are simple or unique in their design. I don’t particularly like covers that have people dressed in current fashions. I like covers that have a timeless feel. I like covers that tell a story in their design… they kind of hint seductively at what is between their pages (e.g. Hunger Games).

M: Do author blurbs, cover jackets, and awards seals matter to you when choosing a book to read?

 
Melissa: Not really. A friend telling me to “read this book” speaks much louder than anything else. I do like to see authors that I read on the cover of a book saying, “read this book” but the seals don’t matter to me at all. Often those seals are for the academic appropriateness or for breaking new ground in literature. I couldn’t care less about those things. When they come out with a seal for “action-packed adventure with a twist of romance, sarcasm and wit” then I’ll start paying attention to the seals.

M: Have there been books you didn't finish reading? Explain yourself.

 
Melissa: Yes. If a book has a great beginning but then the plot doesn’t move OR if it constantly moves it doesn’t make a good story to read! I have been trying to read a book titled Iron Daughter about the faery courts in which the book constantly moves but doesn’t really tell a story. The characters move from place to place in this book without enough backstory… I understand starting the first few chapters of a book that way for the purpose of gaining interest. However, fifteen chapters into a book you need to reveal something of the plot to your readers!

There you have it: Twelve Questions with Melissa Garrison. To learn more about this reader, check out her bio below. Next Friday… I’ll have a new victim in my clutches.

Born thirty-something years ago to two avid readers, Melissa Garrison grew up to be a fanatical reader. She loved reading so much she became a teacher in 2000 so she could teach children her love of reading. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration in 2008 so she could get children, parents, AND teachers excited about books! Somewhere along the way she got married and had a beautiful daughter named Jenna Grace. She lives in Gulfport, Mississippi with her husband, daughter, and an adorably dim-witted dog named Pretzel. She works as an Instructional Literacy Coach at Lyman Elementary School and longs for the day when her dream of being a writer can be fulfilled. She loves to garden, read, teach and cook.

Guest Pod with Kristall Burke: Part Three

I’m having a hard time trying to think of a good way to start this third blog post. I want people to be interested in screenwriting without boring them to tears. So I thought I’d start with my most recent screenwriting experience.

Last weekend I attended the 45^th Annual Worldfest – Houston International Film Festival. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of other screenwriters from all over the world. It was great to congregate with other writers, and comical that we all have the same questions…

“What are your methods?”

“What are you working on now?”

“Have you had any luck in finding an agent or having one of your films optioned?”

All these questions made me think, am I in the right business?

Can I continue to write knowing that the possibility of someone making one of my movies may be on the same level as being struck by lightening?

Ultimately the answer was… YES.

I really enjoyed the Awards Gala and meeting other filmmakers, but in thinking about writing this blog post I realized the one thing that keeps me going is creating my next story and my next set of characters.

At my core, I just want to write.

And I love the medium I have chosen.

Of course I would love to see one of my screenplays on the big screen (but I may have to learn how to operate a camera to actualize this). * smile *

I guess what this last weekend made me realize was that I enjoyed the film festival, being awarded for my work, and that is enough for me. And I was thrilled that my screenplay ‘The Spectacular Spectacles’ received a Gold Remi at the 2012 Worldfest. I actually feel lifted, like the pressure is off. I’m going to continue on my way, keep writing, keep entering film festivals and let my work speak for me. I love my work.

So let’s touch a bit on one of those questions that were so frequently asked at the festival. “What are your methods?” I feel everyone probably has their own writing method and their own ways of coming up with new story ideas. It’s interesting to me that we always want to know how someone else’s process works (probably because it can be daunting to first get started on a new story). For me? It’s more questions. What do I write about? Who will me characters be? I’m currently between projects and asking myself these very questions.

So where do I start?

I have a file that I always keep with me on my phone and computer, titled Screenplay Ideas. When an idea strikes me, I jot it down and file it away until I’m ready to start a new project. When I’m ready to start a new screenplay, I go through my ideas, choose one, and begin a rough draft paragraph based on what I think would make this idea a good story. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t -- in which case I choose another idea and begin again. Hopefully, in the end, this process leads me to my next screenplay. * smile *

But… I never want to force it. So if it doesn’t feel right, I move onto another idea.

Once I have a rough draft paragraph that I like, I do a rough outline. From there I’m ready to begin writing. Knowing that the first page is important -- because it’s the first page everyone will read! -- I usually try to skip it my first go around. There are cases that my rough draft page one will make the cut, but I just don’t want the pressure when I start.

With that all said and off my chest, I thought I would include some samples of my screenplays for those of you who may be interested in screenwriting. As I’ve said before, the format is everything. There is no deterring from it. Once you learn to work inside these parameters creativity can take over. Know your characters; love them for all their imperfections. Don’t be afraid to dig deep and write something unexpected. If it feels right…write!

Here we go…

I chose to include the first page of my first “finished” screenplay ‘Split’. I feel it is a good example of how to set up scenes that don’t contain dialog, and how new characters are introduced before they begin their dialog. With it being the first page, my intent is to give some brief background on events that will be prevalent to the story as a whole.

                                                           

FADE IN:

INT.  WOMAN'S WOMB

Fertilized egg begins to separate into two identical eggs.  They begin to grow and form two unborn babies.

EXT.  OIL FIELD, TEXAS, 1985  -  DAY

Two five year old twin girls, MEGAN and MADISON WINSTON are playing around one of the oil rigs while their father, WILLIAM WINSTON, 35 and MIGUEL PIZANO, 35 work with the crew.  MADISON is dancing, spinning and climbing around on the equipment.  MEGAN is digging in the dirt and looking at rocks under a magnifying glass.

EXT.  MEXICO CITY, 1985  -  EARLY MORNING

Destructive 8.1 earthquake hits and destroys most of Mexico City.

EXT.  OIL FIELD, TEXAS, 1985  -  DAY

The ground shakes and oil begins spewing out of the rig, covering MEGAN and MADISON WINSTON.  The crew, WILLIAM WINSTON and MIGUEL PIZANO rush to contain the flow.  MADISON runs for shelter while MEGAN stands enjoying the rain of oil until her father picks her up and carries her off.

 

EXT.  BENITO JUAREZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, PRESENT  -  DAY

Black luxury car pulling from the curb of Arrivals.  Follow car away from airport, through Mexico City to a five-star hotel.

  

This is the eleventh page of ‘The Spectacular Spectacles’. We’re right around that very important ten-minute mark of the movie. I chose this page (so as not to give away the hook) but to show how one might switch between locations and time periods in history. This would also work for flashback scenes. If my character, Spencer, had been traveling a further distance than from outside to back inside the house, I would’ve included the word MOVING between the scenes.

INT.  BARN, LATE 1800’S – AFTERNOON

Mr. Murphy slides the barn door open and shows Spencer where he would like the hay stacks to begin.  Spencer quickly goes to work as Mr. Murphy heads into the house to unload his supplies.  Working hard, Spencer’s mind begins to wander, without even thinking twice Spencer removes the glasses to wipe the sweat from his brow.

                                            CUT TO:

INT.  GRANDMOTHER’S BASEMENT, PRESENT DAY/1980 – AFTERNOON

Instantly swept back to the present day, Spencer sits alone in his Grandmother’s dark basement.  A stream of sunlight pours in through a tiny basement window.  Spencer bounds up the stairs, leaving the glasses lying on the floor.

EXT.  FAMILY FARM – AFTERNOON

Spencer bolts out of his Grandmother’s house, taking in his surroundings.  The house and the barn both show the wear of a hundred years past.  Running to the side of the barn he finds the same farm implements, rusted and sitting unused for decades.  He runs his hand along the side of the barn, amazed.  The crash of lightening and the sound of thunder startle Spencer and wake him from his moment of daze.  Rain begins to pour down on top of him and he races back to the house.

INT.  GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE, PRESENT DAY/ 1980’S – AFTERNOON

Spencer rushes back towards the basement stairs, being stopped short by his Grandmother, with towel in hand.

                          GRANDMOTHER

               At least it’s raining!  Having any

               luck in the basement?

Spencer nods vigorously trying to break free of his Grandmother’s rub down with the towel.  She sets him free and he hurries down the basement stairs.  His Grandmother smiles, as if she knows something.

There you have it, a sneak peek into the world of screenplays.

For those of you who’ve been following these posts, thank you so much! I hope I’ve been helpful to anyone who might be interested in writing a screenplay. If anyone has any questions or ideas and would like to read more about screenwriting, please let the Ninja Peas know. I would be happy to guest blog again on the subject. Happy writing!

xoxo - Kristall Burke

Kristall Burke lives outside of Austin, Texas on beautiful Lake Travis. She's a stay at home mom of two kids and is celebrating 15 years of marriage with husband, Bryan. In 2006 she was awarded a Silver Remi for her screenplay ‘Split’from Worldfest Houston - The International Film Festival. And in 2012 she was awarded a Gold Remi for ‘The Spectacular Spectacles’.

Guest Pod with Katie Wood Ruffin

Life as a Writer Mom

with K. D. Wood

The Peas asked me to talk a little bit about balancing my life as a writer alongside being a railroad wife and a mom of to two rambunctious boys. Specifically, what do I as a writer on a daily basis to achieve my version of Work/Life Balance? Is there something in particular I do to balance my life as a writer with my life? 

 
For me, every day as a writer and mom involves juggling lots of things. The husband, a home, and the tiny people we share it with. At any given moment, all my responsibilities can be flying through the air at me without so much as a heads up.

One of the main ways I balance my writing is sacrifice. Five nights a week, I’m awake pounding out those words while my family sleeps. My doctors hate this by the way. "You need at least eight hours of sleep every night," they preach. Whatever. Give up my love of writing for sleep? No way, sleep is over-rated. Plus, anyone with kids knows those days of sleeping in and Sunday afternoon naps are over until they reach driving age.

  

Another piece of my day involves lots of delegation. My older kid cleans up his stuff, his room, his bathroom and puts his laundry away. The five-year-old handles simple tasks like playing the matching game while putting the utensils away, putting his toys away or sorting laundry by colors. For a busy mom, this extra time can be invaluable. 

Here’s a little example of a typical day for the Ruffin’s:

6am: The kids get up and get ready for school. While they dress and eat breakfast, we go over tasks for the afternoon. Then, it’s off to school for them.

7-8am  This is my daily planning hour. I sort my morning messages (FB, Twitter, emails) and reply to the most crucial, tagging more involved ones for answering later. My writing shift materials are prepared for the afternoon review. Then, I usually throw a load of laundry in the washer and set the timer for when I get up from my nap.

8-11am: I nap because I’ve been writing while my family is asleep.

12-2pm:  During lunch, I review my messages again, return phone calls that came in while I slept and make replies to tagged messages. This is also when I do most of my domestic tasks (laundry, cleaning, cooking for the evening and the next day etc.). Another big time saver for me is cooking multiple meals. I never cook just one meal. When we have roast, I prepare two. Chili and soups are a double batch too. That way, I have one for now and one to freeze for later. Also, I chop everything the same day I buy them, then, freeze the ingredients in measured amounts for the intended meals. Dedicating a day to preparing meals that can be frozen saves lots of preparation time for a busy writer.

  

2-6pm: As I wait in the pickup line for my boys, I use all that quiet to prepare for my writing shift. Those last solid silent thirty minutes are all I’ll get before the boys go to bed. If I’m revising a manuscript then I’ll go over what I wrote the night before and make notes on the draft. I find that my writing goes much faster that way. If I’m working on a rough draft I’ll review my notes or the plot line to decide about the evening’s direction. While the boys are preoccupied with homework and chores, I’ll go through my messages again and make the necessary replies. On a good day I can even work in a trip to the gym before dinner. 

6:30-9:30pm: The hubs comes home from work and we veg out together for a few hours. I plug the Blackberry up in another room, turn off the iPad and computer, and spend a few hours with the three people I work so hard for everyday. 

10pm-2am: After the boys are tucked in, another writing shift starts. I sit down to my computer prepared, rested, and ready to propel the story swirling in my head forward.  After a few hours of bleeding all over the keyboard I’m off to bed until the day starts all over again. 

Reading this I wondered to myself, do I really balance all these things well? Considering that I meet my goals on a regular basis, my house is clean, my children are bringing home all A’s and B’s on their report cards and I’m happier than I’ve ever been, I have to say…yeah. I think I am achieving Work/Life Balance in my own way.   

     

Do I feel like a failure sometimes? Of course. More often than I’d like to admit, in fact. Do I want to throw my hands up when things get hairy? Sometimes. The better question is, do I ever give up? No, never. 

One of the important things for me is that I constantly look for ways to make my day run smoothly while achieving my goals. What works for me just works but will be different for you and every other writer you know. Work/Life Balance is so incredibly personal on each level. Most of all, for every person out there attempting to reach their goals, get up, dust yourself off and try again when life knocks you back a step, make your days work in the most efficient way for you. You’ll have your own version of balance. 

K. D. is a young adult paranormal romance writer and avid YA reader located in Hernando, MS. Mother of two and founder of the YA Day event...you can learn more about her on her blog.