Writers in the Storm

A guest blog by Tiffany Lawson Inman

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to Laura Drake for inviting me to join WITS today.  And a BIG congrats on her 3 book deal!  Even though she’s a big star now, I hope she signs up for another one of my classes ;)  Hint hint.

There it is.  LARGE bold print peering out at me from underneath the Life and Home section….THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS LIST, nagging me to grab my Kindle and start downloading fabulous fiction at lightning speed through the whispernet. Sounds magical doesn’t it? No, not whispernet, although it kinda does…

Right now I’m talking about that list.  You know the one. The list that, if you are on it, says without saying: You are a really-really-GOOD-writer-and-being-on-this-list-makes-you-special!

What makes that  writing so darn special? 

My mom, Margie Lawson, creator of deep editing, and I have discussed on end why bestselling authors are bestselling authors. Using my background in theatre and hers in psychology, we probed the question:

No… bestselling authors are NOT walking around with fairy dust in their pockets.

Nope… they don’t have magic beans either.

The answer: It’s the words they use, the order they use them in, and how they tell their story.

 Sounds easy, right?

Of course there are stylistic differences surrounding how each author of each genre approaches action, movement, and tension.  Some are minimalists when it comes to dialogue cues and body language and visceral. Others push our senses to the max. And a select few authors out there have the gift to use every aspect of scene writing to show evolving character relationships.  All are golden tools of scene writing!

While teaching Triple Threat Behind Staging a Scene last year, I asked the class members to pick out an action/movement, heavy dialogue, or multi-character scene from their favorite author. And to include an explanation on why they thought the scene kept them hooked and kept them reading. Here are a few of the words and phrases my class used to describe their favorite bestselling scenes:

• moves the story forward
• natural dialogue, showed relationship and kept pace
• understated dialogue  punctuated by bits of physical movements
• visible tension in the body language
• get to know the characters without losing interest  or forward momentum.
• fluid internalization
• seamlessly weaving all the elements of story together
• multiple switches in tone
• easy to read, no description or info dumps
• tight choreography

Similarities: Tension, tight dialogue, show not tell, fluid internalizations, emotive body language, and smooth choreography.

Can you describe your writing with the words and phrases above?  (After taking my class you will be able to say, “Yes-yes–yes-yes-yes!”)

Learning to train our reading brains to see emotional and dramatic patterns can awaken the bestselling writer within all of us.

The question is, HOW?

This is one of the many tools I use to awaken the bestselling authors within my students, so read carefully, this is privileged information  :)

What if bestselling authors forgot about tension, tight dialogue, show-not-tell, fluid internalizations, emotive body language, and smooth choreography in their scenes?

What if I stripped their writing down to its birthday suit? Yup. Naked Writing.

What if, indeed…

Grab hold of your seats folks, I have stripped and re-written this scene and it’s not going to move you one inch.

This scene is a HUGE turning point in a well known YA fantasy. The protagonist thinks he is confronting a known serial killer, a man that betrayed his parents and that betrayal led to their death.  He and his two best friends are secluded in a room with this known villain and the protagonist is the only one with a weapon. This is his opportunity to avenge his parents and commit murder.

Black was on the ground at that point and he was out of breath. He watched Harry as Harry walked toward him slowly.  Harry’s wand was pointed at Black.

“Are you going to kill me, Harry?” he said.

Harry stopped walking, his wand was still pointing forward. Black’s face showed an ugly bruise and he had a bloody nose.

“You killed my parents, “ Harry said.

Black paused."I don't deny it," he said. "But if you knew the whole story."

"You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know." Harry said.

"You've got to listen to me," Black said quickly, "You'll regret it if you don't."

"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry.

Hermione’s fat cat jumped onto the front of Black’s coat. "Get off," he said, trying to push Crookshanks off of him.

Crookshanks was an ugly cat with a squashed face and yellow eyes. The ugly cat continued to sit on his chest. Hermione started crying.

Harry guessed he would have to kill the cat too.  Harry still held the wand out in front of him towards Black, but he was having a hard time with this decision. Ron’s breathing was loud. He was sitting by the bed next to Hermione.

Harry heard a noise from down the stairs.

Hermione loudly yelled for help.

Black tried to get the cat off of his chest again. He was unsuccessful.

Harry shook his wand. A voice in his head told him to kill Black soon. He could hear          footsteps on the stairs. This decision was hard and he didn’t know what to do.

 Someone opened the door. It was Professor Lupin and he had his wand out.  When he came through the door, he scanned the room.   Harry still had his wand pointing at Black who was on the floor in front of him. 

 Lupin then yelled, “Expelliarmus!”------------------------------------------------

OH, my goodness….did anyone stop reading after line 4? And you guessed it – that was an altered scene from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. That’s right.  This children’s book has adult size muscles packed into its action scenes.

I have to admit, it was kind of fun to strip the magic away…so-to-speak… :)

I WISH I could show you the whole scene, fully clothed. Alas, it is too large of a sample for me to retype without copyright infringements. If you have your own copy (and I know you do) crack it open and read this scene.  Not only is this a turning point for the book, but it is a turning point for the entire series.  Must read!

Here are the highlights:

• Emotive Physicality:

Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched.         

• Active Description:

A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding.

• Underlying Emotion:

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

• Quickening Pace:

"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't... You don't understand..."

• Natural Dialogue and Emotive Dialogue Cues:

 "I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me... and you did that... you did it..."

• Smooth Choreography and Active Description:

But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To his right, Hermione gave a dry sob.

• Gripping Cadence and Visible Tension:

Harry raised the wand. Now was the moment to do it. Now was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He was going to kill Black. He had to kill Black. This was his chance...

The seconds lengthened. And still Harry stood frozen there, wand poised, Black staring up at him, Crookshanks on his chest. Ron's ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent.

And then came a new sound  

• Fluid Internalizations and Seamless Transitions:

Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Harry gripped his wand convulsively -- Do it now! said a voice in his head -- but the footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Harry still hadn't done it.

• Active Descriptions and Smooth Choreography and Emotive Physicality:

The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flicked over Ron, lying on the floor, Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet.

"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.

By stripping away the Rowlings bestseller qualities we are able to see what is missing. And by putting them back, we can see the quality and quantity of what she used.  Yes, there can be too much of a good thing and readers will put your book down if they can’t see what’s happening.

Look at your own writing with Naked Editor Vision and ask yourself these questions:

• Does your writing already look like it’s been stripped?
• Is your writing wearing too many layers of clothing? Is it hard to see what is really happening under there?
• Have you overdosed the scene with one or two elements and scrimped on the rest?
• If you stripped it down, can you still see what is happening? What do you see?  Does your scene still have all of its body parts?

Sound like fun? 

Comment below and tell us about your favorite scene writing author. How do they do it?  Have you ever studied their writing? Dare to strip one of their scenes to see what is underneath? 

LEARN MORE FROM NAKED EDITOR! Join me for my February class at Lawson Writer’s Academy:  The Triple Threat Behind Staging a Scene:  An Actor’s Take on Writing Physicality, Choreography, and Action

Leave a comment and your name will be added to a drawing to WIN a spot in The Triple Threat Behind Staging a Scene:  An Actor’s Take on Writing Physicality, Choreography, and Action

February's Online Classes offered by Lawson Writer’s Academy:

1. Taking a Book from Good to Sold, by Shirley Jump
2. The Triple Threat Behind Staging a Scene: An Actor’s Take on Writing Physicality, Choreography, and Action, by Tiffany Lawson Inman
3. Kills, Chills, and Thrills: Writing the Thriller Novel, by C.J. Lyons
4. Taming WordPress: Create and Maintain Blogs and Websites, by Tamela Buhrke
5. Platforms Aren’t Shoes. Start Marketing BEFORE You Finish That Book, by Tamela Buhrke
6. Empowering Characters’ Emotions, by Margie Lawson

Tiffany Lawson Inman is a freelance fiction editor and writing instructor.  Find out where she’s been guest blogging, where she’s going to be next, writing/editing tips, and her EDITING SERVICES at Naked Editor Blog: http://bit.ly/NakedEditorFictionWritingBlog   http://tiffanylawson.blogspot.com/

 

 Allow me open a window to your personality, as well as  your character's. If you already know all about the Myers-Briggs Personality Test and the sixteen personality types, you can skip down to the stars, below.

I'm no psychologist and I want to remind you that while I find this interesting, I'm a mathematician first and I reserve the right to be skeptical of everything without proof.  Oh, that does come out in my type.  You'll see later.

If you're like me, you're going to want to know about you before you worry about those characters in your head, so here's a link to a free questionaire and report.   Answer the questions quickly and honestly.  Go with your first gut reaction--not what you wish you were like.  Do not go back to "check" your work.  It's not a math test. There is no wrong answer to any question. 

Your report will include four letters in a specific order:

• I(ntroversion) or E(xtroversion)
• N(iNtuition) or S(ensing)
• T(hinking) or F(eeling)
• P(erceiving) or J(udging).  

Don't panic--it's not as bad as you might think just from these words!

Let's look at those first two letters  E or I, which refer to how you draw your energy from the world around you.  If you're an E, you draw energy from people, things, and activities.  You tend toward breadth rather than depth.  You have a need for people.  If you're an I, you draw your energy from the internal world of thoughts and ideas.  You prefer depth to breadth and pause to think about things.  You have a need for privacy.

Now for how you take in information, your second letter: N or S

If you're in the N crowd, you prefer to take in information through a sixth sense, a gut feeling, your iNtuition.  You think about what might be.  You like the big picture.  You need possibilities. If you are with the S crowd, you prefer to take in information through your five Senses.  You like concrete and practical ideas.  You have a need for evidence.

The third letters, T or F, (no, not true or false)  refer to how you make decisions.

The thinking T emphasizes logic and reason, truth and fairness in decision-making, looking for objective balance.  T's are unconsciously pre-occupied with truth.  The feeling F makes decisions based on personal values and people-needs. F's are unconsciously preoccupied with harmony with others.

The final letter J or P shows preferences for lifestyle.

J's prefer to live in a planned, organized style.  They like to come to conclusions quickly.  Their bottom line is control.  P's enjoy spontaneity.  They're flexible and adapt rather than needing to control.  They prefer to keep their options open.

If you're like me, you're happy with your letters and wouldn't want to be "the other one" of any pair.  However, each type has potential strengths and potential blind spots.  As with any personality type (and horoscopes!), take what can help you grow and reach your goals.

Since we're writers, let's look a little more closely at the fourth letter.  Here's a comparison of helpful traits and non-so-helpful traits for each.  Remember, there's always room for development.

Judging (J)-Potentially helpful: 

• able to plan and schedule
• being deadline conscious
• able to think on your feet
• making decisions quickly
• sticking with a task even when it gets boring
• valuing orderliness

Judging-potentially hindering:

• ruled by deadlines and becoming inflexible
• jumping to conclusions before you have enough information
• being over-interested in control

Perceiving (P)-potentially helpful:

• keeping options open
• able to influence people without too many pre-conceived ideas
• willing to start over again if the first ideas don't work
• tolerances for others (bosses, included)
• willing to adapt to others

Perceiving-potentially hindering:

• gets bored quickly
• can appear sloppy and unprepared
• finds it difficult to make decisions
• more interested in beginning a project than seeing it through

Welcome, back, you psychology test-savvy readers.  Here at WITS we agreed to share our types with you.  Since I have the psychology degree, I got to write this and go first. In college I had a raincoat that was clear plastic with white, quarter-sized dots.  It barely covered my mini skirt and you could see right through it.  I feel like I've got that raincoat on now. 

What the heck!  I'm a proud INTJ; I'll admit it.

Instead of telling you more about how I think (boring) or how emotions surprise me, I thought I'd share with you my "to do" list of how an INTJ can become more effective.  Those of you who know me will be able to nod your head at these suggestions.  I have to admit that as I was reviewing them, I thought, "Uh-huh, that's why I had trouble last year."  I could take these as my New Year's resolutions. 

How INTJ's can become more effective:

• Praise more, criticize less
• Postpone making a decision (sometimes) and just go with the flow
• Accept how much detailed work has to be done by others before the ideal can become a reality
• Be alert to the danger of constantly escalating standards
• Accept that things are all right as they are (sometimes)
• Genuinely involve and consult others when your decisions will affect others
• Tell the people close to you about your feelings
• Learn to control your impatience, or let another manage it
• Get work into perspective
• Arrange genuine leisure activity which is just fun
• Get enough exercise
• Smile more, frown less
• Ask for help before something becomes a crisis

Okay, one on the list I've mastered.  Really.  Not telling you which one because I don't want arguments.  That leaves one thing to work on each month.  That's doable.  I'm smiling now.

What if you were to have your characters take the Myers-Briggs test?  You could look at ways they could become more effective, to know how they operate, and what pushes their buttons. You can see the potential for conflicts when a Thinking T has to make a joint decision with a Feeling F.  There are sixteen different personality types.  That's a huge potential for conflict.

Next week, our own Laura Drake reveals her letters.

So, what's your type?  Or your protagonist's type?  Did you find something that makes you say, "Aha?"  If you have a question, throw it out here.  We know it's about one of your characters, not you! ;)

by Louella Nelson

There's no time like January to dream the so-called "impossible dream" and get organized for the year.

We use all kinds of tricks to maneuver ourselves into a better us, a more orderly us, a more fulfilled us.  We lie to ourselves and say we’ll get this or that done and don’t do it.

• We’re going to diet and lose 30 pounds.
• We’ll get dive-certified; take that trip to Thailand; then we’ll get over to Tuscany and see the clear light all those painters raved about in the Renaissance.
• For sure we’ll write two books, find an agent, get The New York Times to write reviews for us, blog till our fingers are numb, and launch that writing career.  (Or, in my case, re-launch it.)

But how???

Perhaps the answer lies in community.  What is more giving, stimulating, and supportive than a writing community?

Writer Deborah Gaal hosted a splendid Vision Board-building seminar last Sunday night for 10 of my student writers.  We examined six adult passions—Personal Mastery, Achievement, Intimacy, Play and Creativity, Search for Meaning, and the last, Compassion and Contribution.

Our goal was to select three of these passions to focus on as positive outcomes for our energies.  Deb took these passions and their definitions from the work of Frederick Hudson and Pamela McLean in LifeLaunch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life.  Mind you, it wasn’t easy to narrow the field to three categories.  But Deb had some tricks up her sleeve to help us.

Just as I assert to writers that all stories and characters reside in your subconscious and need only be drawn out through auto-writing, meditation, or long showers—Deb’s introductory remarks reassured us we already knew The Plan for our lives-to-come.

She guided us in a brief meditation in which we accessed our subconscious and gave confidence to our dreams.  If that sounds a little woo-woo, it is—but it's an effective way to unlock ideas.  I often suggest that writers tell themselves three to five nights in a row before sleep that they know exactly what to write about, how to fix a character, where to go next in plot, and so on.  Deb did something very similar.

Here’s a paraphrase of the process:  Essentially, eyes closed, imagine yourself in a beautiful, peaceful place; breathe there for a bit; wander down a path and see your spirit-guide (an ancient savvy version of you) waiting for you; ask for what you want, what you wish to know, and then gently ease yourself back to the conscious world.

After the meditation, Deb urged us to either use a special deck of cards, Planning on Purpose Card Deck, to get more ideas about our passions and goals and then categorize them into the three key passions; or go directly to magazines and cut out pictures that represent the three areas.  A last option was to draw a mandala (a Sanskrit word that means "circle") and fill in the pie-wedges of the circle with our passions or goals.

http://www.ptecovillage.org/mandala.html#layers

Minutes later, a whole gang of us were snipping images and words from a collection of magazines we'd brought along and pasting them onto large foam-core boards—our Vision Boards—or drawing a mandala.

The action unfolds

It was interesting to see the work styles of some ten writers.  Four or five of us worked at the table and gabbed; others found spots on the floor throughout the downstairs of Debby’s beautiful home.

Each of us got something different:

• Fiona covered an entire 20”x30” board with words but there was an organized madness to the layout.
• Bev kept at her board until the very very end, nearly four hours later, and ended up with concrete ideas and three distinct areas of focus (which was the goal!)
• A few of us had a cup of tea and a chat to relax our overtaxed brains.
• Cynthia had the most amazing luck finding outstanding pictures that captured freedom and joy and a kind of splendor (example: photo of a gorgeous woman, eyes closed, head thrown back, arms reaching up to a cascade of water from a fountain, the water and the woman golden because backlit by the sun).
• Alison drew a colorful sun-mandala and I got to read some of the sensitive, beautiful things she put on it.

Initially I used the deck of cards and came up with a list of values, or things important to me:  being visionary, making a difference, more recognition, career satisfaction, a positive retirement, staying healthy, more freedom for me, playing/playful, simplify, sex (three letters that say so much!), sexuality, and committed to a significant other. Reviewing the list, Deb pointed out that I was heavy on Achievement (no big surprise there).

← Goal-mapping, an alternate-style vision board using images and deadlines.  See “Resources” below.

Here is how she helped me organize my list of values: “Being visionary and making a difference should fall under Compassion and Contribution,” she advised.  “Recognition, career satisfaction, and positive retirement sound like Achievement.  Health, freedom, simplify—these seem like Personal Mastery, and playing is Play and Creativity.”

Because I can only choose three passions to develop, I move “being playful” into Personal Mastery.  Sex, sexuality, and commitment to a significant other normally fall into the Intimacy category.  But I’m limited to three categories.  So I put these into Personal Mastery too.  The categories are flexible and I’m taking advantage of that!

In addition to “values” and “passions,” I have “goals.”  Where do those fit into the visioning process?  Deb listened to me articulate some of my goals, commenting, “Re-releasing your published novels, writing and selling the writing text, and tripling your outreach to writing students are action steps for Achievement.”

The action steps are to be written on Post-It Notes or directly on the Vision Board.  For example, near Star Maker, a phrase I pasted on my Vision Board, I need to place a Post-It that says, “Triple my outreach to writing students.”  I could also post “Write and sell my writing text” near Star Maker, because when students read the text, they’ll be on their way to becoming a writing star.  This is how goals intersect with values and passions.

The climax

As easy and enjoyable as it was at first, I struggled with the imagery part of the process.  I simply could not find images (other than a lovely home on the beach) to represent my ambitions.  In fairness, the magazine collection was heavy on beauty and lifestyle.

As mentioned, I did find the one stark phrase that captures my goals for the writers I mentor:  Star Maker.

Most astonishing, however, was that my half-finished board ended up full of images of the natural world.  I admit that I relate there most strongly.  So I must need to “fill the well” in nature, right?  Vacation!!!

But no.  Deb said we are visioning to draw other things to us that we want but haven’t yet attained. So my board is not finished.  It has huge open spaces, and only a fraction of the messages I put on the board are Achievement oriented.

Debby gave me hope, though.  She recommends I find images on the Internet; that I look at Forbes or other biz journals; and of course, The Writer, Writer’s Digest, Poets & Writers, the UK’s Writing Magazine, and the U.S.’s bible for the industry, Publisher’s Weekly, will offer words and images that make sense to me.  (An aside: check out PW’s articles on self-publishing.)

The denouement

Several of the writers praised the seminar.  “Deb opened up to us about her own vision-board and the things she had learned from the project,” says Alison.  “For me this was the most valuable part of the whole experience—I was getting some insight into the personal journey of a fellow writer and friend I really admire.  Such an inspiring moment.”

Fiona wrote this morning that the time she put into her Vision Board has already paid her back.  She had placed on her board a piece of a brochure for a screenwriting seminar that was sold out.  “But I was still dreaming of going,” she writes, “and I found out today I’m in!”

Lest readers think the Vision Board is strictly for business goals, Fiona clarifies a personal goal well-met:  “I cut out a picture of a globe/passport/jet with the words "family vacation," "discover the world," and "great travel" glued on top. Today I booked a trip for Easter Break, first toLondon, then by train to Glasgow, Scotland, to see my Granny and show my kids the motherland! I have been trying to do this for ages!”

I loved the sense of community among the writers—one slipping a magazine image across the table to me and saying, “Can you use this?”  Another murmuring encouragement to me and then articulating her dreams for publication.  And always, Deb’s subtle support, her calm guidance, her ability to cut through confusing lists and drop them into categories that didn’t seem obvious to the writer.

My “scene goal,” if you will, was to put together a Vision Board that clarified my goals and priorities and gave me direction for 2012.  That’s only partially how things turned out.  Today, for instance, because of my work with Debby, I sent off four of my novels to be scanned and translated into PDF files, eventually to be launched in online bookstores.  In large part, however, my board reflects my inner-most passion:  nature.

In my home-office at the moment is a Vision Board filled with natural images—beaches, stones, sea shells, horses tossing their manes and traveling through fields of yellow deer weed.

I had to think about this outcome.  Although I strive for achievement in writing and teaching, my soul is all about the natural world, which knows nothing about money, career, goals, Achievement, or even visions.  Instead it is wild, chaotic, sublime, serene, unpredictable, subtle, endlessly replicated, endlessly unique, cruel, hungry, changing....

For me, it’s an ongoing process, this business of “visioning” my future.  Meanwhile, I remind myself that a thing nature does not have is regret.  Carpe diem.

Resources:

As I was writing this blog post, I discovered that, in fall 2011, Roger Parker posted a fascinating article A.K.A. blog, “Using an Author’s Mandala Chart to Write & Publish a Book,” which, obviously, helps authors find their way to publication.  He adapted a “flexible focus” mandala developed by Active Garage, which carries syndicated content and hosts guest bloggers.

You can get “Planning on Purpose” cards from Hudson Institute  inSanta Barbara.  The organization focuses on “Life Renewal, Coaching and Leadership Development.”  800-582-4401

See also Brian Mayne’s “Goal Mapping” site.  It’s fabulous—so organized and helpful.  http://www.liftinternational.com/Goal_Map_templates.pdf

Materials List:

√ A foam-core board from an office supply store that measures whatever size you want to display in your writing area (most of us used a 20”x30” size);

√ scissors or an Exacto knife
√ post-its
√ pencil or marking pen
√ glue stick

√ Other creative tools as you wish:  sparkle-glue, theme stickers, sheets of colored or patterned paper to place behind images—whatever makes the board come alive.

Achieving Your Vision Step-by-Step

How fun would it be to gather your writing partners or best friends, some great eats, and your materials and host your own vision seminar?

To recap what you can do at home, here are the steps:

1. Gather your materials, including a well-rounded selection of magazines if you plan to do a Vision Board rather than the Mandala.
2. Find a calm meditation/work area and put all your materials in easy reach.
3. Do a brief meditation, such as the one I mention in The Stage is Set above, to calm and focus your mind.
4. Using the cards or simply brainstorming, make a list of your passions and goals; organize  them under only three of the six adult passions listed in paragraph three of my blog.
5. Then either draw a Mandala or cut out pictures and words to make a Vision Board.
6. Think about the action steps you’ll need to take to make your passions come to pass.  Use a marker or sticky notes to list these steps and include them in your design.
7. Place your passions and steps where you see them daily.
8. While you do the action steps, watch the magic happen.

   

About the Author:

A former president of Orange County RWA (California) and coordinator of a past RWA national conference, Louella Nelson is the author of five romance novels (Days of Fire, Mail-Order Mate, and others), short stories, a novella, as well as award-winning trade magazine editorial features, articles, and technical reports.

A professional writers' mentor, Lou has conducted successful author promotions and has been a guest on radio and television talk shows; she has led writing retreats and taught writing courses at the University of California, Irvine Extension (current); Orange Coast College (current); California State University, Fullerton Extension; and Learning Tree University. Many of her students are agented, published, and award-winners.

Lou received the 2010 UC Irvine Extension Distinguished Instructor Award. She is at work on a textbook for writers and is currently re-releasing her novels and writing short stories.  Follow Lou on Twitter @LouellaNelson or visit her blog.