Walkin' the Wild Side of Writin' with Ruthy...

You know how some things sound really good in theory, then nosedive into
unbelievably bad when reality strikes?

That's kind of what went down with the whole 'let's show 'em how we write' birthday extravaganza, giving everyone a glimpse of writing methods, styles, and formats.

I'm fairly sure as of this moment that despite what my new BFF Bob Mayer might say, I'm obviously a total fake, fraud and failure because there is no way in this world that the little girl that dwells inside me, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, the kid who wasn't allowed to play with half the neighborhood because she/her house/her family was unacceptable, the kid whose parents never came to anything, ever, not once...

Is now a respected published author with interviews, book signings, book club invites, multi-book contracts, three 4 1/2 Star novels out of the gate, and an amazing sisterhood/brotherhood of awesome writers and readers to play with.

What's changed?

Real fur is IN, haven't you heard?

So much.  As you can see, I still have my quirks. Yes, this is me at 4:00 A.M., and I don't generally allow side-shots because I have a BIG nose, but it is four in the morning and right about then I didn't care.

And I was holding the camera off to the side, trying to look normal and snap the shot, without disturbing the kitten, so it took SEVERAL ATTEMPTS to get me and the cat looking something better than downright frightening.

The kitten is "Dora"  (this is what happens when you allow small children to name pets: the kitten likes to explore so she quickly became "Dora the Explorer". Find me a kitten that DOESN'T like to explore...) my little friend, the newest in a LONG line of farm cats, isn't she adorable? And just think of what people spend on those microwave neck-warmer thingies? I get the warmth AND the purr at no extra cost.

Since we're talking methodology today, let's do a cram course:  I write my books in my head first.

Did you get that?

I write my books in my head first. I saw from comments these past few weeks that some of you can relate to that, others will simply twitch their lips and frown, while others will throw writing books at me the next time they see me.

I don't plot, I feel. I don't plan, I equate. I 'see' a book, the arc, the characters, oh, the characters!!! They're what move my books, their thoughts, their doubts, their memories, their past, their present. So when I sit down to actually write a book (or a paper, or a letter, or a newspaper article) it's already there, in my head. I just need to coax it to paper. Finesse it. Comb it. (See, if this writing gig doesn't pan out, I could turn into a dog groomer. Westminster Kennel Club, here I come!)

I jump out of bed, literally, around four A.M. (This is almost always true.)

I love to write. Because I work full time, my writing hours are sacred, sacrosanct, special... No one bothers me. (Okay, I totally get that no one WANTS to bother me at that hour, but that's a moot point: the point is, it works. You've gotta find what works, no matter what your schedule, right? Find something that fits in, that can be wiggled around, that can be woven into the framework of your day, your night and not instigate divorce proceedings.)

Here's the beginning to my day, and no, I'm not going to show you brushing my teeth... Or how Kramer-like my hair looks first thing in the morning. Here's the haze-laser:

Yes, this is the secret ingredient to jump-starting the day: my Keurig, flavored coffee (this is Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee, oh mylanta, wonderful!!!), Italian Sweet Cream creamer by Coffeemate and whipped topping.

And here is the finished product, approximately 8 carbs of amazing goodness:

Now we're ready. We've got the cat, the coffee, the Keurig, the laptop.

(Like Janet, I thought I'd hate a laptop. I was wrong. I love this machine, I love the feel, the speed, the mobility. Totally awesome.)

Now we write.

I don't read craft books.

I don't plot.

I don't plot-storm.

No, not even for series. For series I plant characters and if they've got a story to tell,

it will come out. It is useless for them to try and hide from the Ruthinator.

I don't write notes usually, but if I'm revising something I'll jot things on a sheet of paper alongside the computer to keep my timeline correct because when you re-write something in your head, your head doesn't always differentiate between editions.

Pencil and paper do.

And so I write. Once I have a book in my head, I start it whereever I want to start it.

This is rarely the way the book will start later...

Usually I'll hack out most of this when I edit/re-write, etc., but this is how the story

cements and ferments in my head, by actually writing it, getting it down. By BEGINNING...

After the first chapters, most of what gets written stay with the book. It gets tweaked, primped, pimped and primed, but the story does not generally change.

The first chapters ALWAYS DO.  I realize that this is my way of preparing

myself for the book, for the characters, getting to know them.

And it works, so I keep at it.

I write for two hours every morning, +/- a bit. Yes, I am disciplined. I don't have extra time, or a lot of choices, so I make use of the time I have. I don't take time off, I don't have to push myself

to the chair because writing is the first thing I do, every single day. My goal is to write 3-4 books/year.

This schedule keeps me producing the way I want to while keeping my day job.

For me, writing isn't something I do, or something I play at.

It's a career. My first career. The one I've waited a long, long time for.

I hate stopping.

Just hate it.

But I must because people depend on me for other things:

Two wayward orphan children that wandered onto our farm, very Grapes of Wrath.
They were INSULTED that I made them hose off before coming in for baths.
Even I have some standards, LOL!

Yes, small urchins arrive and must be tended, otherwise they wind up looking like those above.
God has blessed me with young parents who think mud is a good thing.

But I digress.

I work at night as well, editing, e-mails, blogs, making contacts, cleaning occasionally. (Read: Christmas and Easter...)

I write on weekends and allow myself a few extra hours of writing time on Saturday mornings as my reward for not killing anyone M-F.
Little rewards like that keep me going.
I write on Sunday mornings before church.

I love writing. I love what I do. I love creating. I love that Steeple Hill and Harlequin have been fooled into paying me and I keep thinking they're going to wake up someday, recognize the error of their ways,
and cut me loose.

But you know what I would do if that happened?

I would keep writing, because writing is what I do. It's a big part of who I am. It's the reward I waited for while raising six kids, seeing them through record-setting high school sports, college, seeing them go on to wondrous degrees, watching them get married, baking wedding cakes, dessert bars, fixing dresses, sewing in bra cups, changing diapers, greeting grandchildren, scrubbing sticky handprints off walls,
scraping up Play Doh from the carpet...

Like the mini-reward system of a handful of M+M's if I stayed on my diet all day, or a ten minute walk
if I got 1200 words done,
or a small Milky Way Dark bar for not torturing a living creature (spiders and snakes excepted)... 

Being a writer is my reward for waiting until the time was right, until my first priorities were accomplished.

This little guy is part of the reason I'm NOT showing you my office.
Not after Myra and Janet's pics, both in contention for
Better Homes and Gardens "Congenial Workspace of the Year."
Oh, no.
This little fellow was in my bathroom, tucked into the towels on the floor last Sunday morning.
Oh mylanta....

This was a present from my beautiful daughter-in-law Lacey because I'm always jotting things on

Krispy Kreme sacks in the car. Sometimes I'm at a stoplight. Sometimes I'm not.

I've used receipts.

I've used the backsides of grocery lists.

These were last week's notes. See, the trick is you have to be able to FIND the nice journal...

Which was in a safe place last week when I needed it.

But if the nice journal isn't available, a thank-you note from a grateful bride will do.

This moment proves that it pays to be nice and generous with your time.
What if I HADN'T helped at that wedding?
I might have had NOTHING to write on when I realized what Cameron's problem was, why his
mother did what she did and why Meredith came home.

Thank God for envelopes and messy purses. And by the way, it's always good to get paper grocery bags. Did you ever try to write a book on a plastic sack?
It's tedious.

This is a current example of how we roll here in upstate NY.

Notice the lack of a wheelbarrow.

So we used a plastic sled to haul wood chips.

And we couldn't find the twine to give it a rope handle, so the boys carried the sled full of

wood chips out front where they:

raked them into place.

See, it's not about the method. Or the office. Or the neatness.

It's about the finished product, the end result.

As long as the end result is what you wanted, hoped and dreamed,
you're doing all right.

We all have different ways we attack writing, different methods, different styles, varying time-lines.

But if the outcome-based reality is a really good book, then we're doing fine despite our differences.
This is what I keep telling myself, anyway, in very "I'm Okay, You're Okay" style. It comforts
me to imagine myself as some small degree of normal.

So tell me where you are in your journey. What worries you, troubles you, bothers you.
I might laugh.
But I might not. I might be really nice and give you a big ol' cyber hug, because I've
been there. Done that. I get it.

And then watch the Weekend Edition on SUNDAY for the name of one lucky winner who
will get a $20 Starbucks OR Barnes and Noble card for stopping in and commenting.
(Note to self: stock up on cards. Sheesh.)

The above line was changed about 5:15 A.M. when I saw how many of my friends don't have
Starbucks nearby or don't drink coffee, so I'm using the rights of eminent domain and putting your names
in the drawing ANYWAY, because I have the power of the 'edit blog' button.
I love power.
And that way you can grab a couple of books from B&N.... Because I love you guys
that much!

And of course, each day that you comment, we'll drop a ticket in the Kindle drawing for the end of this month.

I'll meet you guys inside. Coffee's on, and we've got apple-stuffed croissants on the  menu.
Dig in.

Ruthy