A Little Help Here?

Writers are curious old coots. Nosy old salts. Notorious question askers.

As a kid I would be forever asking, “Why?” And I remember the frustration when the answer would come back from my dad, “To make little girls ask questions.” Usually he’s a pretty patient guy who doesn’t mind filling my head with the incredible knowledge he’s acquired. All I have to do is ask. But sometimes… I guess I asked a little too often. Or persistently. Or would reach the end of the “why” line.

As a writer, “why” is one of the best tools I have in my toolbox. “Why” opens up all sorts of ideas, contingencies, plots, conversations, and more often than not… trouble. As in, I don’t know! I’ve asked “why” so many times I’ve reached the end of my knowledge base and have to turn to a resource.

Usually I pop over to my good buddy Google and type in that burning question. Voila! Answers. The other day I discovered quite a bit about hand held security wands. Another time about steel toed boots. Sometimes it is something simple like finding out what colour topaz actually is.

But sometimes Google doesn’t quite cut it. And then you need to go to a different source. A real, live, air-breathing source. And that is always such a rush for me. To ask and receive. To gain knowledge. There is something so alive and invigorating in probing and finding an answer to something that has been tickling my brain or discovering something completely new and unexpected.

Where do I find those air-breathing sources? Well, the other day I was participating in an online class offered through RWA Orange County. (That would be Romance Writers of America, Orange County group.) The class was offered by a retired LAPD officer. And she let us ask all sorts of burning questions. Big surprise–I had a ton!! And by asking all those burning, I-gotta-know questions I found holes in my plot. I found errors in my scenes. And I was inspired. Inspired to improve. Informational tidbits from this officer made my mind leap into make-it-better mode which created all sorts of offshoots and things I wouldn’t have thought of without her. And my story is better. My writer toolbox is that much fuller as well.

Not long after, I discovered I needed to know more about how hospitals run and I needed information from a nurse. I popped over to the ‘Wanted’ ads over on my virtual home AQC (AgentQueryConnect.com) and placed a request for help. Voila! Ding, ding! Answer up! But the problem was the more questions I asked of this lovely writer acquaintance of mine… the more questions I had! But, my facts are so much straighter now. The scenes are that much tighter, richer, and real. I’m not afraid of those little details I had before, because now I know they are correct. I am also not afraid of readers with a greater knowledge base throwing my book against the wall because of my hospital scenes.

While seeking help from a nurse, a writer on AQC offered this great site: jobshadow.com. Right here you can learn more about different jobs. Handy for finding out more about day-to-day bits and what-not. As well, I like to use ALIS (Alberta Learning Information Service) for finding out about job skills, duties, pay, and training.

But all this question asking and hole finding causes me to wonder… where else have I screwed up in my stories? Where else have I assumed something is correct and it isn’t? Yikes! (I’m trying really hard not to let that part freak me out!)

Where do you go for information when you need it?

Family Fun

Looking for some last minute gift ideas for the kids to make the relatives? Looking for activities to do with the whole family? Or maybe just a craft or two for the kiddos in your life? Maybe wondering how to track Santa? Or wondering how to make shortbread for when that big guy makes his way down your chimney tonight?

Well guess what? I’ve been tweeting some of my kids play ideas over on Twitter under @KidsPlay, so if you want to track Santa, have him send a personal video message to your friends or kids, I’ve got the links for you!

I’d love to see you on Twitter. Stop by and say hi to me! I’m right here: http://twitter.com/#!/KidsPlay

Books on Audible

Lately my parents have discovered the wonderful world of Audible. (Basically, Audible is like this… You buy ebooks, but they are books on tape that aren’t on tape, but come over those interweb tubes and then you listen to these voices reading to you on your appropriate space age device. So it’s exactly like ebooks. Only different.)

This summer my husband found this lovely children’s book written by Adam Mansbach and read by Samuel L. Jackson and thought I’d relate to it. I’m not sure why exactly. You can listen to it here and see if you can figure out why.

Is Your Stuff Bestseller Material?

Here’s an easy way to find out if your writing is bestseller material. Pop over to The Bestseller Code and pop in some of your work and click on the closest genre and see what happens.

Using math it’ll figure out if your sentence structures lend your work to bestsellerdom. The opening of Caviar and Lemon Drops gets a 20/20, however when things start hitting the fan later in the story and my sentences get shorter, I hit 8.3/20. So there you go. Take what you will from this thing, but it’s fun to play with!

Ebook Extravaganza!

Think you might be getting an ereader for Christmas? Already have one? Or do you love reading ebooks on your iPad, phone, or other lovely gadget of the modern age? (Gotta love the world we live in–it’s an awesome time for readers!) Anyway, if you are seeking cheap ebooks, I’ve got a deal for you!

This lady-driven Mustang has never done a brake stand in its life. Don’t worry about those bald patches on the tires that tell you otherwise… Oh, sorry. Ebook deals. Right.

Sure you don’t want to buy this peach of a car? No? Okay. Sorry. Just had to try. Things are tight at Christmas, you know how it is.

Anyway, if you want a 99 cent ebook, check out Book Lovers’ Buffet. They’ve got books in all genres and from what I could see, all books are at 99 cents. I’m not sure how long their holiday special is on for, so you might want to zip over there and check it out. You find the book on Book Lovers’ Buffer and then follow their link to Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Smashwords to download the file. So, no matter your format requirements, or where you buy your books, they’ve got you covered.

Don’t forget to check out the other free and 99 cent books on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon, too! (By the way, I think Smashwords might be the only one where you can download FREE ebooks without entering your credit card information. And I think that makes them a rock star.)

**** Please note that free ebooks on Amazon and Barnes and Noble aren’t always free if you live outside the US. Grrr.