I’m officially a real writer

That’s what I’m calling myself anyway. I have a prepared time and place to write regularly and I’m actually sticking with it pretty well. If I had written this blog post yesterday like I was supposed to I would be writing right now.

I’m also going to be participating in a critique session on Facebook.

Pick Up Lines hosted by Chick Confidential

I can post the first 150 words. So I’m going to participate to keep myself motivated. Oh when it’s all done I might just post the opening here in my blog. With possibly changes that might be suggested. The event isn’t until March 2 so something for my readers to look forward too.

My next scene to write involves a spaceship crash and my main characters meeting for the first time. Fun times!

I promise my next post won’t be about me and I’ll actually write about a topic. I will also be creating a Recommended Reads page which will be books from all genres. If you have any you would like to see on the list feel free to let me know.

Until next week,

Keep on reading

Wilder than the Martian Winds (yes, I have a title now): 1,589 words.

The Girl Who Loves Mars

Good news, ah for me at least, I found another time to write. So I’m hoping my output will increase dramatically.

I don’t know what it is about Mars but I find it fascinating. It’s not only me. If you follow space related news they are now trying to colonize Mars and if I wasn’t married with a child I would sign up. Family comes first.

I am not the only one to find Mars fascinating. Societies throughout history has held a fascination with the Red Planet. Ancient Greece named it Ares after their god of war. The Romans did the same naming the planet Mars after their god of War. It’s distinct in the sky among all the stars because you can see it with the naked eye and you can see that it is red.

I believe, that when we do colonize Mars, it’s history and literature will consist of, at least partially, of fiction about Mars written on Earth. I know it has been the stories I read and not so much the non-fiction of Mars that has made me fall in love with the planet.

The stories include the following:

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Moving Mars by Greg Bear

Mars, Return to Mars, and Mars Life by  Ben Bova

I might add that these are only a few of the novels I have read. I will try and dig up some of the short stories I have read which are just as good. For those of you looking for a romantic element in your stories. John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Ben Bova’s Mars trilogy have strong romantic/relationship subplots and the stories wouldn’t be the same without them. I would even call John Carter of Mars Science Fiction Romance.

I hope you get a chance to check some these great works of fiction.

Until next week.

Keep on reading.

Science Fiction Romance and How I Started Writing It

For those of you wondering where is my post for last week. This is that post. I was sick all weekend and didn’t have the energy to anything but lie in bed and sleep. Feeling lots better now so on with the post.

Science Fiction Romance or SFR for short is a combination of two already existing genres. Romance and Science Fiction. It’s a new and growing genre in literature. Writers either come from the Romance genre and add Science Fiction into their work or they come the Science Fiction genre and add Romance to their work. I belong to the latter. I grew up on all things Science Fiction thanks to my dad. My Saturday mornings weren’t filled with cartoons but Dr. Paul Bearer and Elvira Mistress of the Dark watching B rated 1950s science fiction like, Night of the Lepus. We also watched Star Trek: TOS and the original Planet of the Apes movies. This leached over into my reading as well and I read anything from the library that was labeled Science Fiction. One of my favorite works is titled “Invitation to the Game” by Monica Hughes. I was also named after a princess from outer space so my fate seemed to be sealed for writing SF. (No not Lyra from “His Dark Materials” that was published after I was born.)

I currently had one little short story published where I earned a small sum. It was enough to get a coffee at Starbucks so a very small sum. While growing up watching reading all my SF I realized I was focusing on the relationships between the characters. In most SF there is usually some sort of romance subplot. I realized with some stories that is why I was reading or watching not for the main plot but because I loved watching the characters fall in love. Even to this day I have added scenes to Stargate and then wonder where they went when I watch the film. Only to realize I added it in in my head. In Ben Bova’s Mars trilogy “Mars”, “Return to Mars”, and “Mars Life” there is a strong subplot of the relationship between Jamie Waterman and Joanna Brumado. While this trilogy is not considered SFR their relationship does affect the rest of the story. Bonus, Jamie Waterman is half-Navajo and Joanna Brumado is Brazilian so PoC main characters for those who are interested.

I read very little Romance growing up. I thought the teenage romance was simply unrealistic and stupid. Yeah, I said it. I also didn’t know about stand alone romances all I knew was Harlequin which well what do you think of Harlequin and I thought the same thing. All the horrible clichés about Romance that were floating around I believed all of them. Nope, to get my romance fix I read Historicals, not Historical romances, just straight up Historicals. It satisfied my Romance itch and was a major factor in my studying History in college. So you’ll probably see some history in my written works too because that degree isn’t going to pay itself. Only now I’m playing catch up with the Romance because while I know almost all the tropes in my preferred sub-genre of SF having read it all my life I really don’t have a clue as to Romance. So, I’ll due my best with the Romance side of things although it might be SF with Romantic elements for a couple of stories but I will always have a Happily Ever After.

Until next week,

Keep on reading

 

Discipline, Time, and Pen & Paper

A computer is nice but not necessary to get the story out. So if you are one of those who thinks you need a computer, Scrivener, and a printer calm down you don’t. You just need to find the time to write, the discipline to use that time for writing, and pen & paper to get the story on the page. I currently write using a notebook & pen and I write once every two weeks when I go wash my laundry. It doesn’t matter when or how often you write as long as it is consistent. You have to do what works for you.

This is my year of change and my writing goal for this year is to increase the times I can write so that it’s more than twice a month. I’m hoping to get to at least once a week. Trying to keep it reachable and doable. I have a full time job and family so spending 3 hours a day writing just isn’t going to work right now. That will have to wait until my writing actually makes me money.

A successful writing career starts by doing what works best for you and improving upon it.

Until next week

Current word count for Wilder than the Martian Winds: 663 words