Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Go to the source: Want to know how it feels to sit in a Mercedes Benz, or the smell of a horse, or the sound of a forest?

Go to the source.

Window shop at a high end car dealer, visit a horse veterinarian or enlist the help of horsey friends. The woods are not silent. Spend a night–or at least several hours hiking.

Nothing beats the real thing in order to describe it well. While some of us can’t go up in space, we can simulate the experience by spending a few minutes in a cramped metal shed or the cockpit of an airplane. Writing about the past? Turn off all the lights in your house and fetch water out of a rain barrel.

Now submerse yourself in the experience. As you transport yourself, you’ll transport your readers.

Visit Maria Zannini’s blog.
Purchase Touch Of Fire • Samhain Publishing

Don’t be afraid to experiment with your writing.

So what does that even mean?

For five years I targeted Harlequin Mills and Boon because that was the house I wanted to be published with. I did eventually progress from form rejections to personal ones and then onto revisions but something just wasn’t clicking. However, HM&B was where my heart lay and I was determined to succeed!

But eventually, disheartened, I decided to try writing single title. And then paranormal romance (which I had always loved). At the insistence of my CPs I finally pushed right out of my comfort zone and tackled erotic romance – something I had always insisted I would never do because it was far too difficult!

Suddenly, it was as if a great halogen lamp exploded overhead! My voice fit the dark, erotic tone as if this was where I had always meant to be. As another experiment to stretch my writing muscles further, I then wrote my very first erotic historical romance – and it was that book that landed me an agent and two book deal.

So this is my tip: Sometimes it really does pay to try another sub-genre you love – even one that you might not have considered attempting before. It could make all the difference between “thanks but no thanks” and “We love it! Please sign on the dotted line!”

Visit Christina Phillips Website
Purchase Christina’s upcoming release, FORBIDDEN ~ Berkley Heat, Sep 2010

“I have a feeling my writing tip is one that’s been shared, but just in case it hasn’t, I wanted to remind everyone that writing comes in all forms. It can be a stanza of poetry, a blog update, a letter, a book review, a diary entry, or actually sitting down to write a short story, novella, or full-length tale.

Every day I write in one of these forms. If I’m not in the mood to get into the headspace of a character, I’ll focus on my blog. Or if I need to be creative, I’ll think about a book I’ve read recently and compose a review for Goodreads, Amazon, or (did I mention) my blog. The key is to stay creative and keep the mind sharp. Ideas are born of the most mundane things. Perhaps inspiration will strike as you’re thinking of something else — much like those wonderful brainstorms that occur during the shower or while you’re folding laundry. The mundane has one bright side — it forces the mind to relax, think, and daydream.”

Happy Writing!
Jaime AKA J.A. Saare

Visit J.A. Saare’s website
Purchase J.A. Saare’s latest release, Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between