by Adrienne deWolfe
Bestselling Author
Please welcome my guest, Adrienne deWolfe, who I have asked to share some tips for making YOU a better writer. Welcome, Adrienne!
When I’m
connected with my Writing Muse, all is “write” with the world. My
characters surprise me; cliff hangers magically appear; and sassy
one-liners occur in the dialogue.
If you would
like to experience the same creative Nirvana, I encourage you to try
the exercises below.
Important:
Don’t wait until writer’s block sets in or the Grim Reaper of Deadlines is
stalking you. Experiment with these creative ideas on a good writing
day. Who knows? Having a little fun just might inspire you to
write better than ever!
#1. Tired of losing
the staring match with your cursor? (Oh, yeah.) Pack up your
Writing Muse and take her on an official play date. Go to Paint
Ball. Or a museum. Or a treehouse (my personal favorite.)
Dress like a Storm Trooper. Act like a 7-year-old. Give yourself
permission to color outside the lines. (Note to First-Time Paint
Ballers: Drop by the pharmacy on the way home. Buy a tube of Ben Gay.)
#2. Lonely for
conversation? (From real people?) Visit a busy restaurant at lunch
time. Take your critique partner with you. Speak about your characters as if
they’re business acquaintances. Brainstorm how to kill one off. Do this
REALLY LOUD. Enjoy the horrified stares!
#3. Liberate your
subconscious! Wash the dishes. Weed the garden. Vacuum the air ducts. The
point is to distract your conscious mind from your problem by engaging
in some menial task. I cannot tell you how many times a brilliant
idea has popped into my mind while I’m scraping fried eggs from the bottom of a
skillet!
#4. Buy a hoola
hoop. (Betcha know where this one’s going, huh?) Okay, so you’re
lousy at hula. Do jumping jacks instead. They’re free. I
promise you, the shot of joy-juice (endorphins) that you get from aerobic
activity will do wonders for your creativity. (Extra Perk:
you’ll work off the sugar from the caffeinated beverages that you’ve been
guzzling – so you can guzzle even MORE!)
#5. Try a different
POV to solve your writing dilemma. Write as the banana on the kitchen counter.
Transport your mind into a three-year-old child’s. What’s it like to stare at
the knees of your heroine all day? Pick a favorite fictional character.
How would Scooby Doo save the day? Rhett Butler? Bella Swann? (By
the way, if these cheesy POV exercises lead you to write the next bestselling
vampire novel, be sure to cut me in on the royalties.)
#6. Ever hear the
saying, “Books aren’t written, they’re re-written?” (Yeah. That advice used to
annoy me, too.) The next time you’re faced with a re-write and your Inner Child
is pitching a fit, give in to the tantrum. Throw Nerf balls at the wall. Jump
in the swimming pool and yell under water. Torch the objectionable
critique in a appropriately fire-safe container. (It’s truly gratifying to
watch bad reviews burn – uh, so I’ve been told.) Now that your brain’s clear,
go write something!
#7. Still
stumped? Dear me. (Ever consider a brain transplant?) For
those of you who’ve reached Def Con 5 (translation: a chocolate fondue, a
bottle of wine, and a full-body massage couldn’t wrangle one measly word out of
you), try some positive reinforcement. Every time you do finish a scene, stuff
a $1.00 bill inside a mason jar. If you’re independently wealthy, stuff
$10 inside the jar. By the time your manuscript is finished, you’ll have a
sizable nest egg. Use that money to reward yourself. (Or send it to me. Your
choice. )
What’s Next for Adrienne:
Look for DEVIL
IN TEXAS (Book 4, Velvet Lies) the eagerly awaited sequel to SEDUCED BY AN
ANGEL. (Read an excerpt from DEVIL here: http:// ebookdiscovery.com/adriennedewolfe.html
) Available Summer 2014 from ePublishing Works.
SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL
Book 3, Velvet Lies
By Adrienne deWolfe
Book Description
Kentucky belle
Seraphina Jones craves a dashing stranger worth kissing. When she spies her
handsome, half-naked hired hand at the riverbank, she thinks her dreams of
romance have come true. But this Texican is wanted for murder.
Jesse Quaid
can't let Sera's sweet kisses distract him from rendezvousing with Cass, a
childhood friend, to clear his name of a crime that he didn't commit. But then
a case of mistaken identity turns Cass into Jesse's deadliest rival for Sera's
heart. Now, Sera must find a way to end the feud before the man she loves is
lost forever.
Excerpt:
"Can I
have my pants back?" A wicked dimple flirted with his lips.
"Maybe."
She narrowed her eyes at his bawdy show of humor. "Are you going to pack
them in your bedroll and ride?"
"Now
that's an interesting question, coming from a maid."
"That is not
what I meant!"
"Isn't
it?" Those strong white teeth flashed in a feline smile. "It seems to
me a young, unmarried woman shouldn't be visiting her hired hand's digs in the
middle of the night. Unless, of course, she has a certain kind of
pleasure-riding on her mind."
Sera's jaw
dropped. She couldn't believe Jesse would think such a thing about her!
Well, okay.
Maybe she had imagined kissing him with a reckless abandon. And maybe
she'd imagined stripping off his shirt to feast her eyes on his
rock-ribbed planes. But was that such a crime? Imagining?
"Why are
you being so contrary?" she demanded. "I thought we were
friends."
"So did I.
Until I came in here tonight and caught you spying on me."
She caught her
breath. "Jesse, I swear. That is not what I—"
With a speed
reminiscent of his quick-draw, he ripped the denim from her hands and caught
her wrists. She shivered a little when she recognized the hunger in his
jungle-cat stare.
"Jesse,
please don’t be angry with me—"
"I’m not
angry with you, Sera. I want to do forbidden things to you. I want to do
scandalous, bawdy things that will make you pant and gasp and shake with the
sheer, wild pleasure of my kiss . . . "
Find Adrienne’s Books
· Velvet
Lies Series
http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.hostingprod.com/AdrienneDeWolfe.html
· Wild
Texas Nights Series
http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.hostingprod.com/AdrienneDeWolfe.html
· The Secrets to Getting Your
Romance Novel Published
http://writingnovelsthatsell.com/the-secrets-to-getting-your-romance-published/
About Adrienne deWolfe
Adrienne is a
#1 Bestselling Author and the recipient of 48 writing awards, including the
Best Historical Romance of the Year. She consistently delights readers with
sexy, action-packed, western-style romances, including her Wild
Texas Nights series and her
Velvet
Lies series. In addition, she is the
author of the bestselling non-fiction ebook series, The
Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published.
Fascinated by
all things mystical, Adrienne writes a blog about dragons, magic, and the
paranormal at http://MagicMayhemBlog.com to help her research her upcoming Paranormal Romance
series. She also writes a weekly blog with writing tips and advice about the
business of writing at http://WritingNovelsThatSell.com. Both websites support Romance authors by hosting book
tours.
A
fiction-writing instructor who has taught at the college level, Adrienne enjoys
mentoring aspiring authors and helping published authors advance their careers.
With more than 20 years of award-winning public relations campaigns to her
credit, she offers book marketing services as well as professional story critiques
and private mentorship.
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Adrienne deWolfe
