Directions in a Writer’s Life

Namely – mine!

Some writers pretty much stick with what they began with whether it’s novel writing or scriptwriting or journalism for an entire career. That’s great for them, or, if you’re a writer and that’s the way you go, for you.

For me, things keep on a’changin’. It’s not that I move away from one type of writing to another and leave the ‘old’ behind, it’s more like I add to what I’m doing. That can get a bit crazy, but it’s the way I Iike it. Spices things up for me, keeps the fresh and the new ideas rolling.

I began with novels, published with Doubleday, Harlequin and others. 

Then I added script writing and I loved it. Had a wonderful mentor in Larry Brody of TVWriter.com (for whom I'm a Contributing Editor), sold a script, optioned some others and am still working with scriptwriting having completed one a short time ago. All I had to do was know how to type and be creative...and learn the formatting.

But that’s not where it stops for me. I’m also creating a novel from a previously written script. Its great fun and I intend to publish.  I have a romance novel I’m working on finishing up as well. Still typing, still milking the creative juices.

What’s the newest? Comic books. Kid’s books. Yep, an unusual undertaking for me. I’ve partnered up with a great friend and we, together, write and illustrate the comic series Planet Of The Eggs with five adventures published so far and more in the works.  As an off-shot we’re now creating our first ‘read-to-me’/’young readers’ picture book based on the fun characters of Planet Of The Eggs. The first is celebrating the differences in us all, as well as what brings us together, and is as yet untitled, but that’s coming!

The learning curve was pretty steep on comic creation. We’re still using a combination of photoshop, powerpoint and comic life software. Now we’ve also thrown in the free photo manipulator from Paint.net and got a couple of special effects packs so we can create cool pen sketches and other kind of amazing effects.

The results so far is the near completion of the first volume (six issues) of the Planet Of The Eggs comic book series. But wait, there’s something afoot!  The series is about to find itself in a reboot as we evolve from the very young adventurous eggs to the more confident, determined Superhero eggs and their friends, companions and arch enemies. We’re on the very cusp as we complete the first picture book and dive into plotting for the sixth adventure to complete our first volume.  

Oh, and the fifth, Planet Of The Eggs-Eruption 2, Saving Dot has just released in Kindle format and paperback will follow in the next couple of weeks.  Want to keep up with it all? 

Go to our facebook page for Planet Of The Eggs, tell us your thoughts, which heroic egg is your favorite, what villains you would like to see, whatever comes to mind. We love to hear from fans. Oh, and there’s a monthly newsletter as well – just click the sign up button near the top of the page and get access to the first adventure in PDF FREE! Or sign up directly here.

So, my personal writing career has become a fantastical juggling act and I love it. Yep, I’ll be finishing that romance novel, probably creating more novels from scripts and the reverse as well as finding new and exciting things to pursue with my writing.  I’ll let you know what I come up with next.  Meanwhile, happy reading and writing.

How We Develop Our Writing Ideas

So, to develop an idea it’s become rather easy for us (I know, I know, don’t throw things at the screen if you’re in a stuck place). We’ve developed the mythology behind our heroic Eggs of Eggland and continue to add to that in discussions and individually (after which we review and determine what to keep and what to tweak). With that as our background we discuss and figure out what the current book is about in the broadest sense.

We sat down to brainstorm for the second part of the Eruption adventure, Saving Dot, yesterday (release is set for June). We were kind of stuck, unable to come up with the overall thrust of the story so we decided to work out the first scene.  We chatted. Sometimes the world intruded and the conversation got off track talking about the upcoming election, etc. but once those thoughts were cleared, we focused on the problem at hand. What to do about our heroic Egg Sala and of course the one we were saving, our person, Dot. 

 

We knew how we wanted the first scene to go since it’s the second part of a two-part adventure so we began writing the scene, coming up with add-ons we sparked one from the other. That led to the second scene which we were able to block out quickly. We don’t have the rest of the story yet and it’s possible the first scene could be thrown out later, but as a starting point, it got us moving. It’s downright exciting to leap-frog one idea from another. To toss the not so good aside and, through discussion, give and take, notes scribbled and crossed out, come up with twists and turns that are fresh and at times pop in like bursting bubbles of enthusiasm. The rest of the story will come now, or it will twist back in a whole, different direction. The first two scenes are ‘stewing’ between us and when we get together on Thursday there’s no doubt we’ll each have new and expanding ideas on where this next story is going. We have the start. We have some elements. Knitting it together with forthright discussion can be bumpy, but it’s guaranteed.

What I’ve written above may not be too clear to other writers, but that, in essence is how we develop writing ideas. Hopefully it will spark something in other writers writing in teams or on their own.

Oh, and we have, in addition, established a routine. With communications so easy via Email and the net, we work together twice a week and do a lot of detail work separately, creating the illustrations for characters, researching backgrounds, uncovering new ways to get our books out there to the public eye. Getting it out there is a whole ‘nuther subject for another day. But, in the meantime if you’ve read this far and like the Planet Of The Eggs concept, check out our Facebook Page and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter --- oh, and tell your friends too! We love it when you share.

 

http://www.facebook.com/PlanetOfTheEggs

Writer Not Writing

Have you ever had one of those days?

Of course you have.

I should be writing, but I’m not. Or I could be creating illustrations for the comic series I create with Charlene Brash Sorensen, but I’m not. What have I been doing? Well I did write a post for another blog, TVWriter.com on shutting up.  And, of course I’m writing this.

That doesn’t change the fact that I should be photo-shopping a small blue horseshoe print (don’t ask, but it goes with this 

 - note the blue hoofs). And then there’s the manuscript I need to create from a screen script (if you read this blog you no doubt saw the wonderful illustration associated with it last week). Yeah, well, I’ll get to writing that tomorrow…or maybe I’ll stay up late tonight. 

I do take some pride in the fact that I spent some time today helping an aspiring writer. He has a bit of a way to go yet, but he’s already come a long stretch. Kuddos on him! His project has gone from a long book to the idea of a trilogy and then back to a single long book. Long, of course, being relative, as it fits cleanly into its genre.

The trouble with a day like today is the distractions from writing  are plenty and the urge to play at anything other than being a writer great. It’s easy to give in to those distractions when they’re so close at hand – like a click away to hit Facebook or Twitter. And there’s beautiful spring sunshine outside. On top of that they tell us it’s going to snow by next Monday, so maybe I should take a bit of time off the indoor task of writing now before it hits again ahead of the real spring that’s coming when no doubt I'll get spring fever and want to skip the writing again.

Ah, yes, but back to where I am today. I have a writer's to do list on my desk just to my right and I’m scratching off stuff as I get it done. So far, despite my dithering on this day instead of writing, I’ve scratched off two of the eight things on the list and will scratch off another once this blog post is added to my site.That leaves five and probably a long evening ahead.

This is the kind of day I’m having. I’m almost looking forward to the need to take a break and fix dinner, and I don’t particularly like to cook. But, it’s my night, so I will.

To top it off, I look down at my keyboard (I usually don’t because I touch type at a high rate  of speed) and I see the ‘n’ and ‘m’ are both worn off…again.  Probably should buy a new keyboard but who needs the expense? Besides, I touch-type so I hardly look at them. But when I do a correct and do need to look down I almost always hit an ‘m’ for the ‘n’ because the letters are worn off the keys. A small writer's plague.

Sigh.

That’s the kind of day I’m having. Distractions and procrastination. I can only hope the rest of the world is accomplishing more than I.

Okay, back to that writer's to do list. I guess I’ll photoshop the blue horseshoe print.  Not exactly writing, but who knows, it may lead to greater things.

Tomorrow will be better…I'll just add to my list.

A Writer's Busy World

It’s a busy time here in my writer’s cave (otherwise known as my office) populated by myself and my three faithful dogs who lay in various beds and spots of sunshine while I write.

I barely have time to add a blog post since not only am I writing and illustrating comic books (the fourth in the first volume will be out in March! – Planet Of The

Eggs - Eruption!) but I’m painting all my kitchen cabinets as well and submitting screen scripts while pondering writing a current screen script into manuscript form as well.

That last one, the screen script to manuscript, is vampires in the old west. What do you think? Want to read about vampires on horseback, trains, heroic rescues, a German stable master and his stash of silver and an amazing shaman?

Illustration by Gabriel Hardman

Yes indeedy I keep moving.  Here are a couple of shots of my evolving kitchen.  I’m very excited. Wish I had a magic wand to wave to make it finish faster. Hey, for a bit over $300 (including the new sander I got and wood filler for holes, etc. in addition to base coat paint, finish coat and new hardware) I get a whole new kitchen!  I love doing things myself. Talk about control!  

Meanwhile Stormrider, my SciFi/Fantasy about a warrior woman, member of a pack of telepathic wolf pack gets retweeted on Twitter (my handle is @PeggyBechko if you want to follow me there) and would love to find even more readers.

And the comic series Planet Of The Eggs continues to evolve.

 

We’ve had fun contests (check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/PlanetOfTheEggs) and lots of new Tshirts, totes and more on Café Press at www.cafepress.com/PlanetOfTheEggs. Eruption is the fourth in the series and the fifth with the tentative title of “Saving Dot” is the second part of Eruption. And that launches myself and my co-writer Charlene Sorensen (who’s twitter handle is @CharlieBS108 )

It seems like as we’re emerging from winter, the energy is surging along with the sap in the trees outside. Thinking of my readers and hoping your spring is looking as good as mine!

Writer dreaming: Would I rather hire a maid or a cook?

Writer dreaming: Would you rather hire a maid or a cook?

Seriously.

I’ve decided to take a short visit to fantasy land since in reality I can afford neither, but it’s nice to think about.

As a writer my time seems to be gobbled up from every direction. There are distractions, things that just need to get done and a whole lot more that can keep me from accomplishing in a day what I want to accomplish.

So, once in a while, I ponder that question above. If a genie were to grant me a wish or I was to get just enough money, which would I rather have, a maid or a cook?

It’s a question that’s tougher to answer than one might think at first. There are good sides to both.  And both or either would certainly cut down on the chores I have to get done myself. So who wouldn’t want that?

If there was a cook in the house, that would eliminate a lot of headaches. But I do like to cook at times. And, I have to admit, my usual escape hatch when time is pressing is throwing an interesting combo into the slow cooker in the morning and presuming it will produce something both edible and enjoyable by the time my writing day ends somewhere around 4:30. Ah, the writer’s daydream. Presuming having a cook would guarantee seriously good meals neither overcooked nor overdone and the smells of such excellent cooking would fill the house even as I continued to write in my study, well that has a lot of appeal.

On the other hand there is always that slow-cooker to fall back on.

Now if there was a maid in the house that would mean all the dusting, cleaning, vacuuming  and picking up would happen without me doing the work. It would be like magic. Things would be dusted, vacuuming done (though I’d have to give some thought to all that noise going on while I’m writing in the upstairs office), dishes would be done.

I’m lucky, I have a husband with whom I split the work around the house, both cooking and cleaning. Nonetheless, wouldn’t it be grand to have to do none of it? Or to have one totally taken care of and need only split the work of the other? Yep, a true writer’s dream.

 

On the other hand, maybe what I need is a painter and around the house handyman. I do quite a bit of that myself around the house as well and am currently in the idle of repainting all the kitchen cabinets…then there’s the door frame and the downstairs bathroom cabinets…and…hmmm, maybe I just need to win the lottery to finance my writing.

But I got off track. Maid or cook? In the end it doesn’t matter, I’ll take either!