I attended my RWA chapter writer meeting yesterday and listened to a great workshop by author Alexis Morgan.

I am very inspired by Alexis because even though she has many books out and writes 3 series a year, she still takes the time to learn. She reads books on writing, attends workshops and if she can’t, she gets the CDs from the conferences.

What a great role model she is.

When I look at my huge list of goals for 2009, I see that I had a section for honing my craft and did very little of what I had planned. I wanted to study debut books, study my favorite authors, do some writing prompts from a writing group I belong to and also try the exercises at the end of John Gardner’s book The Art of Fiction.

Now that I sold and know a bit more about what I want to write and now that I’m focusing on writing my series, I’m looking at how I can learn, because I really feel I know very little.

I notice that I am both a craft book and online classes junky so I decided to keep doing that. I also decided to follow James Scott Bell’s suggestion and copying some scenes from my favorite writers in a notebook, just to study them. I like Robert B. Parker’s dialog, Sherilyn Kenyon’s love scenes and Philip Pullman’s decriptions for example . I know I’m terrible at first chapter so I decided to go through my huge pile of thelatest paranormal romances to see how they do it, see what the elements are and if there are similarities between each books.

I just cannot read paranormal right now when I’m writing but maybe just reading the first chapters will be okay.

And who know, I may actually be brave enough to attempt a Gardner exercise.

I think this week shall be a good one to set a schedule for writing and fitting everything in, including working on a college class I’m taking and studying for a science exam.

Have I mentionned yet that I don’t watch T.V.? I couldn’t possibly find the time even if I had one.

Sadly no writing today. I miscalculated my little one waking up time and when I’m not the only one awake in the house there is no point even trying to write.

So only 6000 words this holidays but it’s still much more than last year. It’s a process, trying to build habits for life, not a race that I’ll quit after a month.

Leaving you with a little Steampunk art.

Blessed Be

Revel – Antique Tones by ~cambler on deviantART

by Marie-Claude Bourque

I decided to start taking notes on the novels I read these days, just to get a grip of things I like and things I don’t like from various books.

I’m only sharing what I like because, full disclaimer, this is not a review but just my attempt at learning how to write.

Here are my notes of what I liked in J.D. Robb SALVATION IN DEATH:

1. I like how she keeps coming back to the theme of salvation mostly through one of the villain but also through other character. I also like how the murder case is reflected through both Roarke and Eve’s apst. It’s a clever way to give us some backstory and it gies more depth to the hero and heroine.
2. I think the mystery is done well. I want to keep reading to find out who is the killer.
3. I like how Robb set-up the characters to be appealing with small details. It makes us feel/root for them and we are satisfied when they get exactly what they deserve at the end, both good and bad or something in betweem
4. She also makes the one evil character really evil by comparing her to Eve herself. We see how the villain had a choice in life and chose the wrong path, unlike Eve. So her evil is explain, yet cannot be accepted. It is a good way to contrast the heroine’s choice with those of the villain.