Everything is Material

Between moving, Rob's surgery (outpatient) and the Catholic planners are due, I don't anticipate much time this week, so I've prepped this ahead of time.

People sometimes ask how authors come up with ideas, so here's a sneak peek at my idea generation in April:

Dentists broke a piece of the drill off in my tooth during a root canal. I wrote a flash fiction about a woman in a similar situation who ends up communicating with aliens through her tooth. Yes, it's called "Bit by Bit."

Asked folks on facebook for a Bible story that expressed self control. Decided on David not killing Saul.

Listening to the song "Ocean Gypsy" by Blackmore's Night, came up with a mystery of a nymph who is brutally murdered and her death causes the entire area to be shrouded in darkness, for a thousand nights or until the killer is found and the area healed.

Friend of mine had to deliver some bad news to another of our friends, who happens to live near NYC. She caught her on a bad day, and got an earful! Telling me about it, she said, "She went New York on me." Writing a scene for Neeta Lyffe, I had some zombies attack a bunch of New Yorkers during a parade. Parade goers got mad and beat them with their own ripped off limbs.

Needed to write a column for Vern, my dragon. Weather's getting nice--car wash time. Decided that's a great way to bathe a dragon.

Rob, the boys and I were playing SuperMunchkin. The cards themselves are a riot--puns and jokes, and combinations designed to incite giggles. Plus, at least with my family, there are plenty of ways to mess with your opponent! I came up with a story of Vern, Sister Grace, Gapman, and Superspy Stan Rakness involved in a cut-throat game involving one of the card combinations we played to really wreck Steven's and Alex's chance at victory.

My Novel's Journey: Interrupted again! Turn off the Flow!

Are you getting tired of my telling why I've lived yet another week without having written Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator?

Yeah, me, too.

However, there are only so many hours in a day, and right now I have an actual paying job writing school planners--10 stories geared for high school kids, the adapted to middle school, done for American and Canadian schools. Four calendars in all. This year, we're taking Bible stories as our theme, and I'm retelling some from side characters--one of David's soldiers, Rebeka's best friend, someone who helped the men lower the paralytic through the roof to Jesus. It's kind of fun and a stretch of my creativity as well as a great way to think more about the Bible.

Then, of course, Why God Matters comes out May 15. The publisher, Tribute Books, is spoiling my father and me--dedicated website (www.whygodmatters.com) and a publicist to plan our virtual book tour. So, I've been doing my share by spreading the word to get some blog spots for then June tour--e-mail me if you want to join in!--and making a video book trailer. This one was a no brainer, and I put it together on animoto.com. I'm posting it here May 15, but you can see it at www.whygodmatters.com/news.html.

Next, I got my book contract for Mind Over Mind. I'm resisting the temptation to look it over--I might start revising!

To top it off, I got an idea this morning for ANOTHER novel! This one is in the DragonEye universe. When a nymph is brutally murdered, her death affects all of Los Lagos: Magicals are haunted by nightmares; the water supply is poisoned, and a mysterious cloud covers the city in unending night.

I both love and hate getting ideas. I love my imagination, but I have no time! What do I do? I open up another file in Anthemion Storylines and put ideas and information as I come up with it. I promise--Neeta comes next!

I have to finish the calendars by May 11. I'm halfway done, but next week is will be insane: two signings, Rob's surgery, my cap for my tooth. Oh, and I'm not Catholic Writers' Guild Secretary.

My life is so full of blessings--of imagination, of opportunity, of service. I'm not complaining, but I wouldn't mind if we turned the spigot down just a bit. Just until I finish off the shambling undead hoards.

Progres on Neeta Lyffe: I did manage one scene this week: Zombies attack parade goers at the last New England Zombie Crawl. They made the mistake of attacking the New York contingent. The irate New Yorkers ripped them apart then beat them to redeath with their own limbs.

Novel Journey: Writing Live and Let Fly

DOES


Step 1: Idea Generation

I've finally gotten the completed, revised and fully appendixed version of Magic, Mensa and Mayhem to my publisher at Swimming Kangaroo. This is the first novel in the DragonEye, PI series. Now, I've started work on #2, Live and Let Fly. Vern the dragon detective; his partner, nun and mage Sister Grace; the Herald Charlie Wilmot and his fiancée, the teen star Rhoda Dakota team up with CIA agent Stan Rakness in a spy spoof that that targets cliché's like a 007 opening credits roll. My due date is November, and my intention is to have it done this summer.

I thought this time I'd take you along with me as I travel the convoluted path of interdimensional intrigue, Faerie magic and Mundane technology, fantasy clichés and evil overlord errors. Will you learn something about the novel writing process? Maybe, but mostly, I hope you'll be having fun.

I'll post every Thursday, and Monday if I have extra news.

Let's begin with research.

This line of DragonEye, PI novels are big on comedy. (Someday, I want to write their more serious cases, which I've been doing mostly in short story thus far.) For me, the fun for both lines comes from twisting clichés and mixing up fairy tales, legends and other stories.

Somehow, the song "Live and Let Die" got stuck in my head as I was musing over the next DragonEye novel, and Live and Let Fly is the result. So my first step was to watch some 007 flicks and take notes. I grabbed a random selection based on what was available at the Minot ND blockbuster and we had family movie night.

Watching as a parent of four, including one teenage daughter, is a very different experience from watching Bond as a young adult. My daughter found the early James Bond "creepy," and I had to agree. The other movies had a lot of flash and stunts and fun, but not as much as I thought I could translate into a book.

So next, I went to the books, which are free for download on-line (http://www.truly-free.org/) and discovered a very different Bond. Here was a spy who relied on brains and bravado instead of technogadgetry. But oh, the clichés and anachronisms. Did you know Bond had a fear of flying--and wouldn't you know a storm hits him in at least one flight per book? Forget about his attitude toward women--have you read the portrayal of Blacks? I'm sure Fleming thought he was being very progressive, but Yowza! What a difference a handful of decades makes! Still, it was an unexpected surprise, as I can adapt that attitude toward the Faerie.

Then I moved on to other spy movies. Austin Powers is already a parody in itself--no way to shag that one, baby!--and ditto for Get Smart, so I looked at the Avengers. What a disappointing movie. What a fertile ground for ideas!

In the end, I had several pages of research, for which I now need to search, as the kids used my notebook for something else and it's in the house....somewhere. The best ideas have stayed with me, no worries. I intend to have an appendix showing where each cliché came from--or maybe I'll do that as a contest on my website. I need to consult my publisher on that.

So I had the clichés and a basic idea of what I wanted to do. Next week, I'll talk about organizing.

Word Count Update: I started writing on Monday with the goal of 1000-1500 words a day. I am at 4300 words and just starting Chapter 3. Vern has had an argument with his least-favorite person, reporter Kitty McGrue, Charlie has been mugged, and the crime scene is frustratingly empty of evidence. Today, they meet the Duke, then Rakness, Stan Rakness.