June 2007

Getting Cozy with Karen.
                          June Musings

"Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
~ Howard Aiken ~
I had an epiphany recently. No. I didn't write either of my hero or heroine's realization scenes. That would mean I'm actually within sight of that light at the end of the tunnel in my novel. It would indicate how close I am to typing "The End" and getting this manuscript in the mail to the editor who's waiting for it with bated breath and a six-figure check. [Nothing wrong with my dream machine!]

No. I've just been confronted with the realization that being both right and left brained may be the biggest challenge I've faced as a writer. Like teaching my three-year-old granddaughter how to play "nice" with half a dozen more three-year-olds in a playroom that holds a single box of toys. Personally, I think it might be easier to herd cats on the open prairie.

For those who haven't heard of the right brain/left brain theory, American psychobiologist Roger W. Sperry proposed in the late '60s that the brain has two very different ways of thinking. The right brain is visual and processes information intuitively, looking at the whole picture first, then details later. Many call this the creative side of the brain. The left brain, on the other hand, is verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces and then putting it all together as a whole. Many consider this the "rational" side.

[If you're interested in learning more about this theory, check out:
http://www.funderstanding.com/right_left_brain.cfm]

It turns out that there's a lot more to the brain than this -- well, duh! However, most of us do tend to fall more to one side or the other. It's straddling the middle that can get dicey, and this is the dichotomy I've battled most of my life.

When I was younger, it was relatively easy to turn off my rational side to complete English assignments or write in my poetry books, diaries, and journals. Writing assignments were what I lived for in school! Alternately, when I was in a math or science class, I was forced to step away from my comfort zone. My poor muse would huddle under her blankie in a corner of my brain until that nasty old math teacher put away his flash cards and charts so she could come out to play again. I had no problem keeping the two sides of my brain happily separated.

That all changed when I started writing novels as an adult. By this time, I was used to letting my muse take the wheel of my creativity. But, we all know it takes more than creativity to successfully wend our way through the publishing industry. When I joined RWA, I slowly began to learn about all of the other "rational" skills I needed. And I discovered that, unbeknownst to me, my left brain had gained some serious attitude and muscle while I dabbled in the business world that had become my livelihood.

My left brain was more than content to wade in and rend, ahem, I mean clean up my cluttered right brain. I spent many years in perpetual revision mode.and my muse suffered in silence. Literal silence. I either wrote. Or I gutted. Or I didn't write for months as my creativity froze me out. I couldn't find a middle ground.

Every writer I spoke with told me, "Kick your internal editor off your shoulder and let the muse flow." Yeah, right. My internal editor has grown talons and buried them deep into my shoulder. She isn't letting go without some serious bloodletting. I've been trying to persuade her that she can't edit what isn't yet created. She's been a hard sell.

It would certainly be nice to take the simple route and move them into a bedroom together like I did with my girls when they were young and fighting all the time. They were either going to kill each other or learn to live with each other in harmony. They became friends. So I have every confidence there is a happy compromise to my dilemma. If I can master P.O.V., plotting techniques, characterization, research, structure, etc, I can get both sides of my brain to work together in the same space. My left side needs to learn to delegate, and right side needs to learn negotiation skills.

There has been some progress lately. More and more, my muse is finding the gumption to blow raspberries at my left brain and blast out a page or a scene without too much input from the peanut gallery. But, she's also learning to step aside and let her rational cohort to pick at it a bit before she moves on. I hope this means they're learning to work together. It would certainly be nice to have harmony in the bedroom above my shoulders.

Are either of you listening?

~~~~~~~

What else is happening in my world?

I attended the Colorado Romance Writers Romancing the Rockies Conference in Denver on May 11th and 12th and presented an abbreviated version of my "W" plotting workshop, as well as participated in their book sale and autographing. The conference was lots of fun and work and fun and exciting.and did I mention fun? I'm planning to attend the national RWA conference in Dallas in July (first one in three years), but I have to say that the smaller local chapter is a great way to network. There's nothing like getting one-on-one face time with editors, agents and other writers. I reconnected with some old friends and made a bunch of new ones. I took lots of pictures and you can find them on my website.

I'm pleased to announce that my current project, BROKEN WINGS (aka Killing Secrets, more about that in a minute), took 3rd place in CRW's Heart of the Rockies Contest in their single title category. It's also a finalist in the Touch of Magic Contest in Florida. It's gone on for final judging to Pocket. Crossing my fingers here!

CRW also honored me at the conference with a Casey Award for my volunteering efforts with my chapter. Volunteering is something I love to do for all of my supportive friends at Colorado Romance Writers but have to say the trophy looks kind of cool on my shelf alongside my contest award. Have pictures on the website if you'd like to take a look.

Some really fun news.I pitched BROKEN WINGS to Rose Hilliard at St. Martin's Press and she's asked to see it! Yay! She commented that she wasn't overly fond of the title and I wasn't married to it so, with a little help from my critique buddies, BROKEN WINGS became KILLING SECRETS. The new title broke open a creative door and I now have the titles and very brief storylines for the other five brothers in the series. Double yay!

Also on the NEWS page of my website, you'll note I've launched into my next four-week online "W" plotting workshop, sponsored by the Kiss of Death RWA chapter, this month. With my postponement of my April class, this is the first one I've done since February. I'm healthy, rested, and raring to go!

Apologies for the longer newsletter this month but a lot is happening. If you'd like to comment on the newsletter or anything else, please feel free to sign into my guest book at the bottom of my home page. Looking forward to hearing from you!

See you in July if you'd like to Get Cozy with Karen again. In the meantime, feel free to check out the rest of my website at your leisure.