Oh, I just found a great challenge - to read between 6 or 12 Stephen King novels in 2011. How could I resist? I love Kings books, and although I've read quite a few of his books, there are still more. Since I'm an avid reader, there's nothing better than a productive writer!
This will be fun!
And I get a great looking button!
Here's the link to the site: Book Chick City
21 Jan 2011
15 Jan 2011
The Writer in conversation with the Writer ...
I wrote this on my Norwegian blog, but since the manuscript in question is a Singh & Normann book, it should be here too.
In my head there's room for two strong personalities: The Sensible side and The Creative side. Sensible represents everything practical in my life. All the things I have to do to keep the taxman away and get my bills paid. Creativity just wants to have fun.
Sometimes discussions like this flare up:
Sensible pricks Creativity on the shoulder: Hey! You have got to pull your self together!
Creativity is absorbed in the computer: Shush! Can't you see I'm working?
- Don't shush me! You're just playing Solitaire, for Gods sake!
- I'm thinking while I'm doing this. It's part of my job!
- We are up to our necks in dustbunnies and dirty coffee mugs! Sensible is not about to give up. - Can't we at least vacuum? How can you think in this mess?
- Stop nagging me! Can't you take the dustbunnies out for a walkie? Creativity flashes a charming smile.
Sensible rolls her eyes and looks for something else she to pick at. - And when do you intend to finish that manuscript in your drawer?
Creativity gets a confused look on her face. - What are you talking about?
- Well, there's a big pile of papers you have to complete before sending it out.
- Oh, that. Creativity waves her hand. - That's finished.
- No, it's not! Sensible scents blood. - It has to be rewritten, reorganized, recut, and edited properly.
- How boring! It's fine the way it is.
Sensible is in shock. - What? Are you insane? You can't send that to a publisher the way it is now? You do understand that, right?
- I don't see why not. Creativity is so immersed in herself she misses the danger signals.
- Because there's no proper ending, the story sags in the middle, and you need a hell of a better opening than that lazy trash you've stitched together! Sensible drops the manuscript on the table, causing the dustbunnies to fly.
Creativity ignores the manuscript. - I'm telling you it's finished.
- It will just get rejected! And what's the poing of sending it out then? Hm?
- But it's already 400 pages long! Creativity whines. - That has to be good enough for them. What else do they want?
- It doesn't matter how long it is! You HAVE to finish it!
- Blah. It's boring. Creativity lights up and points at the computer. - What I'm writing now is sooo much more fun to write. Have I told you the story line?
- I'm not listening! Sensible covers her ears. - You have to learn to finish things. Finish one thing first, before starting something else. Why is that concept so impossible to get in your head
- Oh, shut your trap. Creativity turns her back. - I have to write what inspires me. Don't you get that? Stick some stamps on that thing and send it out.
- I'm telling you, there's no editor in this world who is going to understand what that book is about. The story is absurd! Sensible is loosing her voice as well as her patience.
- Can't we just say tell them it's a surrealistic crime novel? Creativity is deeply impressed by her own ... eh ... creativity. - We can start a new trend or something. Wouldn't that be the great?
At this point Sensible either gets a headache or screams at the top of her lungs. Creativity turns the volume up on her music, and fills the computer with words, happy in her world. For as long as it lasts ...
In my head there's room for two strong personalities: The Sensible side and The Creative side. Sensible represents everything practical in my life. All the things I have to do to keep the taxman away and get my bills paid. Creativity just wants to have fun.
Sometimes discussions like this flare up:
Sensible pricks Creativity on the shoulder: Hey! You have got to pull your self together!
Creativity is absorbed in the computer: Shush! Can't you see I'm working?
- Don't shush me! You're just playing Solitaire, for Gods sake!
- I'm thinking while I'm doing this. It's part of my job!
- We are up to our necks in dustbunnies and dirty coffee mugs! Sensible is not about to give up. - Can't we at least vacuum? How can you think in this mess?
- Stop nagging me! Can't you take the dustbunnies out for a walkie? Creativity flashes a charming smile.
Sensible rolls her eyes and looks for something else she to pick at. - And when do you intend to finish that manuscript in your drawer?
Creativity gets a confused look on her face. - What are you talking about?
- Well, there's a big pile of papers you have to complete before sending it out.
- Oh, that. Creativity waves her hand. - That's finished.
- No, it's not! Sensible scents blood. - It has to be rewritten, reorganized, recut, and edited properly.
- How boring! It's fine the way it is.
Sensible is in shock. - What? Are you insane? You can't send that to a publisher the way it is now? You do understand that, right?
- I don't see why not. Creativity is so immersed in herself she misses the danger signals.
- Because there's no proper ending, the story sags in the middle, and you need a hell of a better opening than that lazy trash you've stitched together! Sensible drops the manuscript on the table, causing the dustbunnies to fly.
Creativity ignores the manuscript. - I'm telling you it's finished.
- It will just get rejected! And what's the poing of sending it out then? Hm?
- But it's already 400 pages long! Creativity whines. - That has to be good enough for them. What else do they want?
- It doesn't matter how long it is! You HAVE to finish it!
- Blah. It's boring. Creativity lights up and points at the computer. - What I'm writing now is sooo much more fun to write. Have I told you the story line?
- I'm not listening! Sensible covers her ears. - You have to learn to finish things. Finish one thing first, before starting something else. Why is that concept so impossible to get in your head
- Oh, shut your trap. Creativity turns her back. - I have to write what inspires me. Don't you get that? Stick some stamps on that thing and send it out.
- I'm telling you, there's no editor in this world who is going to understand what that book is about. The story is absurd! Sensible is loosing her voice as well as her patience.
- Can't we just say tell them it's a surrealistic crime novel? Creativity is deeply impressed by her own ... eh ... creativity. - We can start a new trend or something. Wouldn't that be the great?
At this point Sensible either gets a headache or screams at the top of her lungs. Creativity turns the volume up on her music, and fills the computer with words, happy in her world. For as long as it lasts ...
27 Nov 2010
Inspired by bathroom line ...
I was standing in line outside a Ladies Room in a Department store today. It's boring. Because of the Christmas rush, there's loads of people, and long lines.
So what to do?
When I'm bored, I get flashes of inspiration. While in a line my mind wanders - I mean, what else are you going to do when you wait? I can't write anything, I left my phone in the coffee shop, I forgot my book, and I never talk to strangers.
But I had a wonderful idea, funny and light. So probably perfect for a short story. Sometimes it's easy to see what kind of story lives in the idea. A complex idea leads to complex story, a novel or even a series. A light and fluffy story - sorry about that. This story involves cats - so perhaps something for a magazine.
I haven't written anything on the story yet. I'm just playing with it in my mind. If it goes away, it wasn't any good, if it stays, I can make something out of it. But I love this period. Playing with the idea, looking at it, trying different angles, shuffeling point of views and scenes to see what works best - it's great fun.
Perhaps by tomorrow I'll try it on the page, see where it goes. I'm in love with it, so I think it's going to fly!
So what to do?
When I'm bored, I get flashes of inspiration. While in a line my mind wanders - I mean, what else are you going to do when you wait? I can't write anything, I left my phone in the coffee shop, I forgot my book, and I never talk to strangers.
But I had a wonderful idea, funny and light. So probably perfect for a short story. Sometimes it's easy to see what kind of story lives in the idea. A complex idea leads to complex story, a novel or even a series. A light and fluffy story - sorry about that. This story involves cats - so perhaps something for a magazine.
I haven't written anything on the story yet. I'm just playing with it in my mind. If it goes away, it wasn't any good, if it stays, I can make something out of it. But I love this period. Playing with the idea, looking at it, trying different angles, shuffeling point of views and scenes to see what works best - it's great fun.
Perhaps by tomorrow I'll try it on the page, see where it goes. I'm in love with it, so I think it's going to fly!
4 Nov 2010
New books ...
It's official! We will publish a new horror story for children i February 2011; The Park. It's pretty spooky and has been a delight to write. It gives me a sort of balance to the romance series I'm working on. It's just plain fun to do something totally different. The manuscript needs some more work, but that's fine.
My new series is coming along just fine too. I had a two hour meeting with my editor on Wednesday - a very good meeting with lots of fun and constructive feedback - so it's looking good. I have a plan to finish it the coming week ...
My new series is coming along just fine too. I had a two hour meeting with my editor on Wednesday - a very good meeting with lots of fun and constructive feedback - so it's looking good. I have a plan to finish it the coming week ...
15 Oct 2010
New book
New book is going very well, actually. There's a lot of research involved and there are times I wonder why I read so much when I know I'll use so little. But I don't know what I'll use or not use until I find it, and even then I might not use it until years later. In something else entirely.
I have to keep reminding myself that whenever I read an historical book, I love the details. I love to hear about how they dress, what the houses looks like, the shape of the landscape, the colours, the sounds and what the city/village looked like. It's important for the feel of the period. How else can I be transported to a time I don't know anything about, but love to read about because of a great story?
So I gather my facts like a little squirrel (okay, so not so little ...), and stow them away in folders and books, on the computer and in the bookshelves. Until one day, that one piece of information, will make a scene perfect.
Or so I tell myself when I sit in a dusty library with an ancient book from a time when they wrote funny and they couldn't spell.
I have to keep reminding myself that whenever I read an historical book, I love the details. I love to hear about how they dress, what the houses looks like, the shape of the landscape, the colours, the sounds and what the city/village looked like. It's important for the feel of the period. How else can I be transported to a time I don't know anything about, but love to read about because of a great story?
So I gather my facts like a little squirrel (okay, so not so little ...), and stow them away in folders and books, on the computer and in the bookshelves. Until one day, that one piece of information, will make a scene perfect.
Or so I tell myself when I sit in a dusty library with an ancient book from a time when they wrote funny and they couldn't spell.
27 Sept 2010
Long days ...
These days most of my time is spent on proof-reading with a deadline looming on Friday. Writers have different approaches to the process of writing. Some like it all, some prefer the research, some love the words on the page, and others - myself included - prefer the development of the story and the ideas. Frederick Forsythe doesn't like writing. He puts a lot of effort into research and then plans his story in detail before writing it in three weeks. Dean Koontz rewrite and rewrite - sometimes forty times - before he's satisfied. (How he gets the time, I can only guess).
Dorothy Parker sums it up beautifully: I hate writing. I love having written.
I couldn't agree more.
Dorothy Parker sums it up beautifully: I hate writing. I love having written.
I couldn't agree more.
5 Sept 2010
Work in progress
I'm about halfway through the last book in a series I'm writing in Norwegian. This is the 11th book, and I'm finding it quite the challenge. The last book should be as good as the first - of course they should all be good - but when the production time for each book is about 5-6 weeks, something has to give. Mostly it's the outstanding literary qualites, excellent language and well- thought out storyline.
So what's left? Well, that's a good question.
Tempo for one thing. I don't have time try out different storylines and mostly have to go with whatever pops into my mind. Sometimes that gets me to places that keeps the story moving in a good tempo. Other times I have to backtrack and rewrite despite the frustrations and the quick sideglances at the calendar. It's excellent training for the imagination, by the way. Keeps the old brain alert and focused - often on the border of insanity - but it's good. I also have to trust my characters to move the story along. That's good too. Characters are funny people - they live their own lives so to speak, and I just have to trust I have done enough ground work to keep the flow going. The trick is not to have too many characters, otherwise you are bound to forget someone ...
The series has been a joy to write. Yes, I've been moaning about the short deadlines, I've battled "keyboard elbow", and sometimes I've just been sitting in front of my computer, staring at the blank screen for hours. But the truth be told, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I had no idea I would be capable of writing a book in such short time. Now I know because since January I've written 6 books! Once you know that, there's no holding back.
Natalie
So what's left? Well, that's a good question.
Tempo for one thing. I don't have time try out different storylines and mostly have to go with whatever pops into my mind. Sometimes that gets me to places that keeps the story moving in a good tempo. Other times I have to backtrack and rewrite despite the frustrations and the quick sideglances at the calendar. It's excellent training for the imagination, by the way. Keeps the old brain alert and focused - often on the border of insanity - but it's good. I also have to trust my characters to move the story along. That's good too. Characters are funny people - they live their own lives so to speak, and I just have to trust I have done enough ground work to keep the flow going. The trick is not to have too many characters, otherwise you are bound to forget someone ...
The series has been a joy to write. Yes, I've been moaning about the short deadlines, I've battled "keyboard elbow", and sometimes I've just been sitting in front of my computer, staring at the blank screen for hours. But the truth be told, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I had no idea I would be capable of writing a book in such short time. Now I know because since January I've written 6 books! Once you know that, there's no holding back.
Natalie
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