Inspiration for Writing Short Stories ... by Deb Noone

The month of March theme is all about inspiration. It just so happens I have a fun story to tell about inspiration.

First, some background. I love reading short romances that only take a few minutes to read. I also love to challenge myself by writing a romance in 600 to 1,000 words. This is a tricky task, for sure. So, devising a romantic story that is akin to a flash in time for the hero and heroine is a must.

One of my goals for 2024 was to write and submit ten short stories. I wrote one in late December and submitted it, after much editing, in January. I then wrote two more, both in response to calls for submissions. The first was a St. Patrick’s Day story, which I had a ton of fun writing. I also edited it at least twenty times. A tweak here and there, or a change of direction, are all part of the editing process. Truthfully, the inspiration part of coming up with an idea is the easy part. It’s always a kernel of a thought that blossoms into a full, but very short story. Then the hard part begins.

After sending in two stories, I went back to work on writing my next novel. Writing is hard work and I often need a break, both from the ache of typing non-stop for hours, but also to give my brain a rest. So, of course, I find things to do, like checking out the internet and I saw a call for an Easter story.

I mentally shook my head. Nope. I just wrote and sent in two. I got back to work on my current writing project. But the thought niggled at the back of my brain. Easter. Easter. Easter. What did I used to do as a kid? Hunt Easter eggs.

As an aside, I grew up in Washington, D.C. and I once went to the White House Easter Egg Roll—a tradition started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. This event was always held the Monday after Easter, when all schools were closed. I believe you had to have special tickets to get in. My sister and I would dress up in our Easter finest, including a bonnet and our little black shoes. Once we arrived at the White House, we had free run of the lawns, got to meet THE Easter Bunny, and gaze up to the White House balcony to see the President and First Lady waving at all of us. 

But back to hunting eggs…as an adult I accompanied my sister and niece to the neighborhood egg hunt. The night before, I helped my sister and other parents in the neighborhood hide colorful plastic eggs filled with candy in the “hidden” park surrounded by neighborhood homes that rimmed the hill in what I like to call a secret garden.

AHA! Remembering that one special Easter with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece… Well, you guessed it. Inspiration hit.

I began typing and realized that the heroine, the visiting aunt, would meet her sister’s new neighbor who was going to dress as the Easter Bunny. Sparks flew. They met for dinner at the sister’s home and again, just the two. And by the end of the story, on Easter Day when the kids are collecting eggs, the aunt realizes she is in love with the Easter Bunny.

I wrote the story, adding and subtracting words, moving around paragraphs, and after SEVENTEEN versions, I finally sent in the story at the beginning of January. With great excitement, I can announce that in late February the story was contracted and will be released in a magazine toward the end of March.

The theme for April is “Three Things I Do Well.” My second “inspiration” this morning was to write about the creativity of working with food. That is one thing I believe I do well, as I used to cook in restaurants and cater. So, I look forward to writing the April blog and putting it out into the ether for all to read next month. Stay tuned to find out what are the other two things I think I do well, that is, when I figure out what those are—HA!

                     What inspires you? 

      Or how do you jumpstart your inspiration?

 

The Prince’s Son
Amazon(also available in print) 
Books2Read

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) were released in late fall 2022. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, in 2024.

Social Media Links:

Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

  

Photo Credits:

Love in hand: Download | FreeImages walking-love-bond-5693695.svg 
Love Tree: love-tree-5690191
Love Arrow: Flat Love Arrow PNG Design Free Clipart Download | FreeImages
Free love arrow Clipart Images | FreeImages
Easter Bunny: Easter Bunny Painting an Easter Egg Clip Art - Easter Bunny Painting an Easter Egg Image (mycutegraphics.com)
Easter Eggs: Free Vector | Easter eggs collection (freepik.com) 1072593-OMUVFNO.JPG
Cherry Blossoms: Cherry Blossom Clipart Images - Free Download on Freepik
Free Vector | Free vector watercolor cherry blossom collection (freepik.com) 12982494_5114318_CherryBlosooms

 

My Plans for 2023 by Lynn Lovegreen

Note: This was first published on my blog, www.lynnlovegreen.com/blog

I’m a planner. I like to know what’s coming up next, in my writing and my life in general. I use a planner and find satisfaction in crossing off my to-do list every day. But I have come to terms with the fact that “life is what happens to us when we’re planning something else.” (Thanks to Richard Paul Evans for the quote.)

I set writing goals at the beginning of the year and share it with my writing group. I usually have goals laid out for each quarter or season. For 2023, I’m almost on schedule. So far, I revised a YA mystery and queried it to agents, finished a draft for my YA time travel with romantic elements, and attended the RWA conference. The time travel novel is taking a while to wrap up, but I hope to do that before I attend the 2023 Author and Illustrator Conference in Anchorage in late September.

I’m behind on my goal to review my author/writing plans. I haven’t found the quiet time needed to really ponder that issue. If you want to throw a little inspiration my way, feel free to send positive vibes. Or I’ll take chocolate, too! 😉

I have two more goals on my list for this year, to finish the time travel book and update my author website. Will it all happen as I expect? Probably not. But I feel more productive when I have something to shoot for, even if it doesn’t all happen as planned.

How about you? Are you a planner, or do you make decisions on the fly? What has worked (or not worked) for you so far this year? Let us know in the comments.

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

Looking Forward to Certain Times of the Year...For Me it is all About JERO ... by Delsora Lowe

Yes, I know this is March, but hear me out.

January seems to be my down month. The most I get done is organizing for a new year of writing. Other than that, the lethargy from a busy year previous sets in.

The best part about January, is looking forward to February. February you say? Are you nuts? The coldest, dreariest month of the year. What do you have to look forward to. Yeah, yeah…there is Valentine Day. And as a romance writer that should be exciting. And yes, it is. I love valentine chocolates in red heart-shaped boxes. And I love to write romantic stories.

But… The reason I LOVE and look forward to February… Or more specifically—the end of February is…

Every year, since 2016, I have participated in the New Jersey Romance Writers’ February 30K writing challenge. Thirty thousand words in twenty-eight days—what was I thinking? Or one may edit. Instead of counting new written words, one may count every three edited words as one written word. Something for everyone who wants to participate. By the time you read this I will have completed the 2023 challenge, My head will be spinning, and my energy depleted. But the excitement will carry me through until February of 2024

The first two years I worked full time at a job seventy-five miles away, so my time was extremely limited. I opted to challenge myself to ten thousand words that year and fifteen thousand the following year. Both years I exceeded that goal by a little bit. And…I was so proud of myself.

Emboldened in the third year, I went for the gold. And for the last five years I have exceeded my thirty-thousand words incrementally.

The fun part of this is the participants are not in competition with each other. We all cheer each other on each day. Whether we have a good or bad day of writing…or with life itself. As writers, we all know there are days, weeks, even years when life seems to get in the way of our passion to write.

There are basically no rules, except to report in daily (if you can) and the “never say the word ONLY” rule. As in, I ONLY wrote fifty words today, because my kid was sick, the dog escaped, the laundry needed doing, or whatever other excuse or life’s daily needs get in our way of our precious writing time. Every single word is to be celebrated, whether or not we meet the daily goal of 1072 words. If you write one word, it isn’t “I ONLY wrote…” It is call a friend or report on the loop - “YAY, I wrote one word today!”

If you take a day off or write fewer words, there is always time to make up the word count. I might not be in competition with others, but I am VERY competitive with myself. So, when I set a goal, I do everything possible to exceed my own expectations.

So, for a dreary, short, dark month of the year…I am always excited to see February role around. And YES, I always prep my spreadsheet with daily word count calculations, so it is ready to fill in on the first of February…on your mark, get set, GO WRITE! And I love the interaction and common goals of those who make up the group of writers, whose heads are down, brains and imagination are engaged, and fingers are flying during the month of February.

This year, with more than sixty writers participating, we totaled collectively 2.2 million words in twenty-eight days - WOW!

Sure, everyone is tired, but also exhilarated. We cheered each other on, we encouraged everyone, no matter their personal goals of 30K or lass or more, and we CELEBRATED together! And that counts for a lot, when normally writing is a lonely business.

 What is your favorite time of the year to look forward to AND why?

 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/mZ5eop

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, and the novella The Love Left Behind, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Recently released were two Christmas stories: The Inn at Gooseneck Lane and Holiday Hitchhiker.

 

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photo Credits:
Bringing the New Year: Free New Year Clip Art Pictures - Cli
partix
Phone: free clip art for phone - Google Search Gold Medal: Free Medal Cliparts, Download Free Medal Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com) 
Calendar: February 2023 Calendar Printable (calendar-to-print.com) 
Heart: free hearts images - Google Search 
February with Boy: Free February Cliparts, Download Free February Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)  
Goals- New Year: Man with ladder and goal Illustrations and Clipart. 805 Man with ladder and goal royalty free illustrations, drawings and graphics available to search from thousands of vector EPS clip art providers. (canstockphoto.com) 
Desk: Table clip art - Office clip art images free (clipproject.info)  
Celebrate: Search by word celebrate clip art - Clip Art Library (clipart-library.com) 

Wellness and Writing for 2021 by Lynn Lovegreen

I don’t have traditional resolutions, but I do have goals or watchwords for each year. Last year, my word was wellness. Ironic in a year of a worldwide pandemic, right? I did pretty well with it considering the circumstances, but thought I’d give wellness another try in 2021.

 

Here are some of my personal goals about wellness:

Drink tea and eat nurturing food, in moderation

Get enough sleep, even if it means sleeping in to catch up

Exercise three times a week and stay active (yoga, walking, hiking, etc.)

Spend time with loved ones once a week (often done online right now)

Those things help me stay healthy and well-grounded. I encourage you to try similar goals if you are working on your own wellness this year.

 

I also have some writing goals for 2021:

Write five days a week (writing, planning, revising, etc.)

Participate in critique groups

Give three online classes

The first of those classes is an online workshop for the Yosemite Romance Writers:

THE PERFECT SETTING = YOUR PERFECT NOVEL

Amp up reader interest with a great setting! 

Dates: Feb. 1 – Feb. 26

PRICE: $20 YRW members/$25 non-members

https://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/copy-of-workshops-2

Please feel free to check it out if that helps you with your writing goals this year.

 

May 2021 be a year of wellness, hope, and love!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

My “Science” Behind the Art of Producing ... by Delsora Lowe

Right up front I will admit I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of writer. I have a pie-in-the-sky outlook on what I want to accomplish, but until I set goals, not much happens. Because I am also a non-competitive, procrastinator, who needs to plan out life. So how do I reconcile those two different “personalities”?

In all my years of gathering wisdom, some about myself and my habits, I’ve figured out that I am not competitive with others, but I am very competitive with me. And in order to manifest that, I have to have spread sheets and charts and written goals broken down from annual to quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily. I’m not one of those types, you say with the back of your hand plastered against your forehead. I HATE Spreadsheets, you say. No worries. I am the least mathematical, spread-sheet type queen to ever grace this earth. Excel is my enemy. But I do know how to set up a horizontal topic line and a vertical date line. That’s it, folks. Nothing else to see. Oh, except to find the little SUM icon that looks like a weird E.

The one thing I do know how to do is schmooze and learn from other writers. One of those things that has come up in group after group, not only in writing, but any profession I’ve been in, is the importance of setting goals and having ways to measure them.

So, over the years, I developed ways that work for me. I report in daily to one group. That is where I set up my daily goals, such as I want to finish chapter three, or today I’m going to update my website. By saying them “out loud,” it helps me to actually do them. Well, most of them. There are days when something on one list gets transferred to the next day’s list. But the fact I’ve told someone makes the self-competitive gene kick in, and it’s enough to make me try to stay on track.
 

Every Sunday, I report my weekly word count goal to another group. We have all set up our annual word count goal and project goals. For example, I want to send in between 4 and 6 short romances to Woman’s World magazine. To date, I have submitted 5 and I have one in draft form, so I am well in to making the high-end of my goal and possibly exceeding it. Each week our administrator, who does know ALL about spreadsheets, sends back our spreadsheet with weekly totals that show where we are, percentage-wise, in meeting our annual goals. At the bottom of the page is each of our annual task goals, so I can easily check that and highlight what I’ve done to check off the annual list. It’s a painless way (because someone else figured out the spreadsheet 😊 ) of keeping me on track.

As we near the end of 2019 and stroll into 2020, I will assess my achievements and set up goals for 2020. This system has kept me on track for several years now. Each of you can come up with your own system. Whatever works for you. But writing it down and telling others, does make you more accountable to yourself.

 What do you do to set goals for the year? Month? Day?

We’d love to hear more ways authors and readers stay organized.

Now on to more fun things. The thing I do AFTER I’ve accomplished my daily goals. READING! So, here is a list of more Christmas reads. I’ve made it through a few more books since my November holiday read blog. The rest, I will wallow through this month, now that I finished first round of edits on my own Vermont Inn Christmas book, due out in late 2020.


Holiday Reads: Already Read

·         Wedding at Mistletoe Chalet by Dani Collins

·         Once Upon a Christmas by Sarah Morgan (an anthology of 3 medical-based novellas)

·         Waiting for a Miracle by Jennifer Wilck (a Hanukkah novella)

·         Winter Wishes: A Regency Holiday Romance Novella by 11 authors

·         Merry Wild West Christmas by Wanda Ann Thomas (a member of my MaineRW group)

·         The Heart of Christmas by Jill Monroe (a holiday romance from Hallmark publishers)

·         Season of Wonder by RaeAnne Thayne

·         Merry Christmas, Darling by Donna Alward

·         Holly Pointe & Candy Canes by Cindy Kirk

·         A Cowboy’s Homecoming by Vicki Lewis Thompson

·         The Ring Series by Marcia King-Gamble

Holiday Reads in the TBR Pile:

·         A Coldwater Christmas by Delores Fossen

·         Cowboy Christmas Redemption by Maisey Yates

·         The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere (Hallmark movie based on this book)

·         Mutts & Mistletoe by Natalie Cox (Recommended on RTG in November)

·         The Christmas Club by Barbara Hinske (Hallmark movie based on this book)

·         Spirit of the Season by Heather Graham

·         A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

·         Unforgettable Christmas Dreams by 11 authors

·         Spirit of the Season by Heather Graham

·         A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

·         Unforgettable Christmas Dreams by 11 authors

And...My Holiday Book:

·         Come Dance with Me by Delsora Lowe

Come Dance with Me (Oct 2017) – my own holiday story
Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?
Amazon
http://amzn.to/2Ev2rHc
D2D
https://www.books2read.com/u/bMrQva

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Photo Credit - Clip Art

https://making-the-web.com/sites/default/files/clipart/135005/goals-cliparts-135005-7644519.png

My Writing Dream Come True by Lynn Lovegreen

I’ve been lucky enough to have many writing dreams come true. When I first started writing, my dream was to finish a book. Once I did that, thanks to NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org), then my dream was to write a good book, one people would want to read. After many years of writing, critiquing, and revising, I did write a decent novel, which became Fools Gold.

The next, and in some ways the hardest, step was to reach my dream of being published. After lots of learning and rejections, I entered a blurb contest at savvyauthors.com and found my publisher. Prism Book Group had great editors and helped me polish my novel and several others in my Gold Rush series. My words were released into the world! It was a thrill to see my books in print and have readers enjoy them.

But businesses change, and after a while my publisher was bought by another, and my books went out of print. I’m not crushed by this, any more than I was by all the rejections and setbacks before this. I have a new writing dream, to get my WWII series published. And I’m sure I can make that happen, with the same perseverance and dedication to my craft I’ve had all along.

I love writing, and I will keep at it. My biggest, overall writing dream is for my words to touch readers, to inspire them to keep going and reach their own dreams, whatever they may be. 

First posted at www.lynnlovegreen.com

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for almost fifty years. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.