RedHotRomance

Okay, so what's the magic formula for finding your muse? I've been struggling with this question over the past few weeks. I have this book I've been working on... and every day I get up, turn on the computer, bring up the document and... nothing... nothing... nothing... I'm hitting my head against the keyboard in frustration. I'm home right now. There's absolutely no reason I can't write. How do I make that blank screen, fantastic?

So to distract myself from the dilemma, I promptly get lost in the internet; e-mails, marketing, websites, and a whole bunch of lame excuses to do anything but-- write.

So what's the magic formula? I begin the search.

I try several things first: sleep in late and try to force dreaming about my book, maybe this will bring my muse... no.... but it feels really good to sleep in. Watch a TV show that might trigger my muse... no... but I'm enjoying CSI this year, really gory, and that new show Bones is a hoot... eat some food that might trigger my muse... definitely no and a bad idea considering I'm already 20 pounds to the Rubenesque, but damn I love pasta... get that blogging done I was supposed to do... no... but now I know how to log onto a blogger, I'm no longer a blog virgin... Take a walk with my hubby and brainstorm the book... no...no… he hates talking about my books and gives dumb ideas... Take a trip to Tahoe and gamble... no... and now I'm $200.00 down and angry I donated it to the casino. Ughhh, what's the answer?

Okay, finally last night I figured it out, I found my muse. How did I do it you ask? I shut off the internet access and just typed. Do it, start typing, who cares what it says, type, blah, blah, blah, then she turned the corner and saw the man and blah, blah, blah. Type with horrible grammar, "she done it with him again," type run-on sentences, "and then, and then, and then, and, and, and, that, that, that." Use as many comma’s as you want. Type until you finish the entire chapter.

Then you know what happens?

The light begins to glow and flicker. You go back to edit and guess what, that word you were searching for pops in... it's magical and the chapter begins to form into the art you'd been searching so hard for. Yes, that's what I was looking for. And you go back to do a second edit, and you know what? Chapter fifteen is looking pretty good and chapter sixteen begins to run through your head like a movie, what if I do this and this... Back to chapter fifteen one more time, oh, wow, now it's feeling like the best chapter I've ever written. You're saying to yourself, "THIS IS IT. THIS was what I was searching for." And then... okay, you're getting the idea here, enough of the dramatics. Here it is… Nora Roberts, the Queen, says it and by golly, it's the truth…

I can fix a bad page; I can't fix a blank page.
—Nora Roberts, New York Times best-selling author

Signed Rae with a completed, Chapter 15.

Next, we'll discuss minimizing interruptions after you've lassoed that muse ;)

It's currently 2:20 pm. My 4 month old is on his third nap of the day. Since I currently have no outside childcare, it's the only time I have to work. As I haven't received any official revision notes from my editor, my work consists of sending my CP's comments on what they're currently working on. Have I even made an attempt (I'm sorry Bella, but not as sorry as I'd be if I thought your novella actually needed work )? No. So far today I've used my oh so precious baby sleeping time to:

Browse through about 5000 pictures of Sandra Bullock. Why? Because as of last week I officially hate my hair (which hasn't been cut since sometime around April), and there was one scene in Miss Congeniality where she sported a style that I thought might work. I was hoping to print it out for my hairstylist. Of course I can't find anything resembling what I thought I wanted, but I did find several pictures of Sandra Bullock's head photoshopped onto the bodies of naked, giant breasted women.

Visit the www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com site, which I love and will continue to love until the day they trash my books.

Read all about Demi and Ashton's wedding.

Search my mommy's group yahoo list archives for tips on how to get my son to sleep longer during the day in order to produce the aforementioned oh so precious naptime to increase productivity. Or in my case, increase the time I have to dick around on the web and get NOTHING of any value done.

How do you avoid getting overwhelmed by the internet time suck? Especially when spending time on blogs and chatboards can be a great way to promote yourself?

Oooh, I bet I could find a great site all about improving my time management skills...

-Jami

People tend to be surprised when they find out that I write erotic romance. I never realized just how innocent I look until people give me that look. The one that says, "No way. You do?" And then when I nod and say, "It's always the ones you least expect," they can't help but grin and say, "Wow. That's cool. Where can I buy your books?"

And then there was the time, just a few weeks ago, when a house guest of mine asked, "So, what would your books be rated? PG-13? R?" My husband immediately perked up. "X," he says. At which point the wife leaves the room muttering, "I don't want to hear any more," while the husband says, in a voice filled with disbelief, "No. You're kidding right." Of course I have to jump in with, "NC-17...maybe." While my husband shakes his head and says, "No. X"

All in a days work for an erotic romance writer, I suppose.
;-) Bella

TAKE ME: Pocket, November 2005
www.BellaAndre.com

Eight fabulous erotic romance writers from the San Francisco bay area have joined together!