Jodi the Author

Today I start working on a new story. I’ve been playing with some thoughts and problems for my characters. The main thing for today is to learn more about the protagonist and antagonist. Besides hair and eye color, I need to learn how tall each is and whether they are male or female. That is just the beginning. Hopefully as I learn more about each’s characteristics, it will lead me to more detail on what the inciting incident is.

Working with this story, I intend to post more frequently on this website.

For now I’m going to get back to working on some of the basic information for the story. I will report back as I go along.

Keep the wine and coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

Each day I spend some time on my writing, but I choose one part to concentrate on for the week. This week I’m working on the query for my submission to Nephele Tempest. While I do this I’m building on my world as I have built the world in my book.

This means that I’m strengthening my platform. One thing I’ve done, for many years now, is to participate with my local Chamber of Commerce. I started about 24 years ago, thanks to my day job. Over the years I have gained many friends and gotten to know my community better. Along with growing as a writer, I’ve grown as a human being.

My local chamber has opened opportunities to pay it forward. Along with this my friends have given me support in the process of writing my book and stories.  I already have multiple books sold, and those who have told me this haven’t even had a chance to read any of the current one.

What I am saying here is, if you are building on your creative passion, find times to build on your life and your world too. Share with your community and the rewards are amazing.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

It’s now less than a month until The Surrey International Writers’ Conference. I’ve decided what to take for my blue pencil. The blue pencil is a sit down with a published author. This year I’m lucky enough to get feedback from best selling author Tess Gerritsen.

Each year when I prepare to participate with the blue pencil, I wonder how I ever got the nerve to think I could sit before one of these great writers, and have them look at my writing. Somehow I’ve always been able to get through it. Actually, I think it’s the grace of the writers who I’ve had the honor to talk to.

I’ve been working on the first three pages of my mid-grade urban fantasy. There is so much that I’ve written and can use for the books. For now, I just need to find a way to get the first book pulled together.

The only thing I’m missing is time. I would dearly love to work more on this and my other books. Well, the only way I’m going to get anything done, is to use every minute I can find on any and all of my writing.

This I will do. For now, back to the writing and editing.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

As I prepare my book for the Surrey International Writers, I am tempted to put it aside and write another story. If I were to do that, I would need to do it now and take it to my critique group. Last year, I took it to the group after I submitted it, and wished I had held off on submitting it. It needed a lot of work.

If I were to write another story, I need to figure out what I would write and who my characters would be. Those in my critique group keep prompting me to work on my Urban Midgrade Fantasy. To write a story in this genre might be a good way to step away from, not only my current book for little, but also the problems in my life.

So, the first question is whose story is this and what is the story arc? Times in the past I have used writing a short story as the opportunity to get to know one of my characters better.

If I do this, I might get to know Cyndre, one of the main characters in “Misty’s Magical Shed”, better. That being said, what would the story and character arc be? This definitely gives me something to work on.

I will report on my thoughts and the progress of the work, or lack there of, on this story. For now, I will sign off.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

It seems many times that I reach that point when it’s time to stop working on my writing. After all, I could easily sit on the couch and read books other writers have published. There are many waiting for me. Multiple problems arise with this. I would be giving up on the characters who have set up residence in my brain, and the worlds I’ve been privileged to visit would remain unknown to anyone else.

I guess what I’m really saying is that I want to share the characters, worlds and stories waiting to escape the confines of my brain. Unlike Yellow Glow, a character in my book, “Not Too Late Forever”, known as a Luminarie, who travels out of body to distant locations when there is need, the others want to live and work in a real world. These real worlds bear similarities to the one where I live, yet they have their own peculiarities.

Therefore, despite the fact that I continue to get rejection after rejection, I will stop only when I am no longer able to put my fingers to the keyboard. I would dearly love to share my worlds with you. Someday I hope that will become a reality. In the meantime, I will climb Mt. H’Olenberg, swim in the oceans of whatever planet I visit and fly in any vehicle available, sentient or not. I will do this by myself, or with a few friends, until an agent, editor or publisher determines it’s good enough to be shared with the world.

For now I’ll return to the edit of “Not Too Late Forever” or dive back into the writing of “Misty’s Magical Shed”.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi