Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Romance Weekly


It's Tuesday again and that means it's time for Romance Weekly. Here are my answers to this week's questions:

If someone could observe you writing without you knowing they were there, what strange practices might they catch you doing?

Strange practices? Sorry to disappoint, but if somebody observed me writing, they'd be bored to death. I sit at my laptop and type away. Sometimes, I stop to research something on the internet or in a book, but that's about as thrilling as it gets, I'm afraid. All the fun is inside my head and pouring through my fingertips into the computer.

Other than a creative outlet, how does writing benefit you?

I wish I could say it benefits me monetarily, but after six years of working my arse off on my first book (writing, rewriting, pitching, submitting, editing, and now pimping like a madwoman), I've made a whopping $52. I still qualify for food stamps and, as my husband loves to remind me, I've spent more promoting the book than I've made. That said, I do feel writing gives me a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It also gives me the freedom I crave. Just hope it starts to pay off by and by.

How do you feed your muse?

Usually, it's with research. My ideas tend to grow from there. History and myth, mostly. My muse prefers to share things in snippets rather than great batches, so my stories are built tree by tree until there's a forest. Then, the forest gets pruned and raked until I'm satisfied I've done my best.

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Thanks for dropping by this week! Time to head on over to hear what oddness Jeana E. Mann gets up to while writing. Rumor has it, she does a handstand over her computer and types with her tongue, but you can't believe everything you hear. Find out for yourself: http://jeanaemann.net

8 comments:

  1. Love the tree/forest/pruned analogy - and I know what you mean about the money! :) But it keeps me out of trouble...

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  2. I know what you mean about the $52. My dad asked me what I was going to buy with my book royalties and I told him, "A tank of gas." Great answers and thanks for sharing! Sorry for the typos - it's hard to see the keyboard upside down. :-)

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  3. Your orchard will bear fruit Nina! Your writing is wonderful

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  4. Love you ladies. Would reply to all your wonderful comments, but really must read the ARC for our sister, Kate Robbins. I'm slow as molasses when it comes to reading and it's hard to find the time these days.

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  5. "my stories are built tree by tree until there's a forest. Then, the forest gets pruned and raked until I'm satisfied I've done my best" THIS I love. Such a fabulous way to word your process!
    I'm with you on the frustration and disappointment as far as income, I guess all we can do is keep on truckin and hope to hell one day we will have the green to go with the gusto! Great post!

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  6. You have one of those husbands too, aren't they irritating sometimes LOL. Great blog, Nina!!!

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  7. Great answers. Writing can be more of a labor of love than anything else. But what a legacy to leave!

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Writing smexy paranormals with a Celtic twist. Blogging about good books.