Member of the Month

I have been writing for about 30 years. It started in the hippie era. *laughing* I think everyone in those days thought they were budding poets and philosophers. When I read some of the things I wrote.... *shaking my head*

I have to say that my writing took on new heights when I encountered my English teacher, Mr. Amelio. One of our assignments was to write a poem/short story about war. He chose my poem as an example for the rest of the class! That was my first taste of the excitement of recognition. It was my first real clue that perhaps I had talent. I will never forget this man.

Mysteries are my first choice. I cannot walk into a bookstore and not buy one! And there is a worn path in the library from the front door to the mystery section . My favorite authors would include mystery writers like Rex Stout, Sue Grafton, Linda Barnes and Michael Collins. Favorite Chicago mystery authors are Hugh Woolton, Sara Paretsky and Barbara D'Amato. Non mystery authors include poets E.C. Cummings, Rod McKuen, humorous authors Robert Benchley, Lewis Grizzard, Dave Barry, and fiction writers like Leon Uris, Sebastian Barry and Bel Kaufman. Favorite books that I read over and over include Kent State by James Michener, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, Trinity and Redemption by Leon Uris, Notes to Myself by Hugh Prather and Welcome to Vietnam, Macho Man by Ernest Spencer. Some of my favorite mystery books include Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout, Cop Out by Susan Dunlap, Wild Kat by Karen Kijewski, Flynn's In by Gregory McDonald, Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky, A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton and Breakdown by Bill Pronzini.

A very good friend of mine sent me a copy of Short Story Acumen which is a very good software program for beginners as well as experienced writers. It has several sections that help with writing dialogues, presentation and characters. There are examples of published works with author comments and marketing tips as well.

I have a few books that I would recommend to anyone who wants to write better . . .

Write Tight: How to Keep Your Prose Sharp, Focused and Concise by William Brohaugh -- "Tight writing is the difference between hitting with a pillow and hitting with a baseball bat. The pillow, soft, fluffy and unshaped. The baseball bat, hard, compact and well-defined."

How to Write Mysteries by Shannon Ocork -- "There is a saying that a good mystery writer can write a better straight novel than most straight novelists can write a mystery. There is a lot of truth to the claim, as a number of well-known novelists who have tried their hand at a mystery can testify. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the disciplines of the mystery novel are also the requirements for good storytelling. The second is that THAT is exactly what they are: DISCIPLINES."

Dialogue by Lewis Turco -- "How to get your characters talking to each other in a way that vividly reveals who thy are, what they're doing and what's coming next in your story."

The Insider's Guide to Getting Published by John Boswell

Write What You Want & Sell What You Write by Skip Press -- "If you have the rudimentary skills of writing under control, I can offer you at least three things: (1) Help in improving your overall writing. (2) Proper, expected formats to use. (3) Places to get in touch with people who will buy what you write, whatever kind of writing that might be.

Writing Mysteries - A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America Edited by Sue Grafton -- No direct quotes from this book but you will find chapters that will help you with any kind of writing, not just mysteries: The Rules and How to Bend Them, Sparks, Triggers and Flashes, On Work Schedules, Expertise and Research, Background, Location and Setting, Characterization, Writing a Series Character, Building without Blueprints, Outlining, Which Viewpoint and Why, The Book Stops Here, and Locating the Best Agents for Your Work are just some of the chapters that could help any writer.

Believe it or not, I have one Beanie Baby that was given to me as a gift. It's a penguin that sits on top of my computer. I look at it and find it helps me concentrate. Can't explain it, it just works for me.

My strength is my imagination. I can imagine all sorts of stories and dialogues. While I consider myself an erotica writer, having the strength of my imagination helps me stretch myself in other genres. I am extremely proud of "Blues Attitude" because it is my best non-erotic work.

My ability to spell is another strength. I was lucky enough to never have to study for those dreaded "spelling bees" in school. *grin* I just 'knew' how to spell!

The best strength I have is my ability to plot a story. Unfortunately this ability is something that is sometimes hard to call up. When I am writing, something happens to me. The storyline, plot and ending almost come out by themselves. It's actually kind of scary when I think about it because it is like being possessed.

My weakness is that sometimes I am scared to try something new. When I first started writing, I always wrote in the first person. This is my favorite point of view to read in a mystery and I just have always worked from that vantage. So, I have forced myself to write in different views. While I fail sometimes, it feels good to be able to take that risk.

Another weakness is that I don't use outlines. I know that I should. But then, one of my strengths is my memory. I can recall details in a two or three chapter story and very seldom do I have any errors in time frames or characters. When an error does happen . . . I wrote a two chapter story called "Last Passenger". The two main characters spouses had died. Unfortunately, in one scene I referred to his wife dying five years ago, then in the second chapter, the five years turned into six years. So, I need to break the habit of not writing with an outline. Perhaps that will be one of the first New Year's Resolutions I will make. *laughing*

I have two stories published in an anthology entitled "The Passions of Lady Jessiak, Volume 1"

Currrently, I am working on what appears to be a short novel with a good friend of mine. We've titled it "Red Ribbons" and it's been quite an enjoyable challenge. He gave me the first line, I wrote a part, sent it to him, then he carried on with it. We have been working on it for about a month and I think I see an end in sight! While I have never worked with anyone before, I have found the experience very rewarding. And I am hoping that the two of us can carry on with a few more stories because I think we are a good team.

I am most definitely looking forward to my future as a writer. I have been considering editing and writing short stories for an anthology with one of my best friends and think we have enough short stories written by each of us plus a few close author friends to make this work.

One of the most important goals I have is to expand my creativity into non-erotic writing. I can definitely see a mystery novel in my future.

WARNING: This story does contain a very explicit sexual scene of lovemaking at the end. This scene does NOT contain anything related to underage children, non-consensual acts or bondage.