Six Sentence Sunday: From Party Favors

May22

I set Party Favors in New Orleans, because of all of the sex that people assume happens here. We see mostly naked people all the time. It’s part of us, but that is also why Dani believes she is odd. Here are my six sentences for Six Sentence Sunday. Take a gander at the others.

As she waited for Jim, Dani closed her eyes. She wondered if she could ever tell Guy that she needed extra work to have an orgasm. She wanted to blame her strangely uptight parents and their strict rules regarding dating and the proper clothes to wear. Who in New Orleans repressed sex? Most people thought of the rowdiness of Bourbon Street with its titty bars and burlesque shows, although locals rarely walked down the street unless they had reservations at Galatoire’s. NOLA might be a religious city, but the line between Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday was as thin as a spider’s silk. On parade days, she’d seen more of the human body at the age of eight than most adults would admit.

On Conflict

May13

I like conflict in stories that I read, and I put conflict in the stories that I write. I rarely pay to read a vignette. I can get that in a free blog post anywhere on the internet.

A character that you create as a writer should have a goal based on something believable, and an obstacle should get in her or his way. Whether your character’s motivation for that goal is believable is debatable and depends how well the writer sets up the world. You, as a writer, might get annoyed at the constant harping of your critique partners about the goal, motivation, and conflict, but you’ll be a better storyteller if you incorporate this.

I’m Ursula Whistler, and I want to read stories with conflict, because it makes me cheer when that couple gets together or captures the evil-does or solves the murder mystery, but too many writers forget about this.

Inspiration from another place

May4

I travel from New Orleans from time to time, always wondering why I’m leaving. Other places don’t have the same music or food that satisfies the body with the soul. And, why don’t cities let you have go cups?

Yet, one afternoon we set up a picnic at the pass, let the kids romp, and watched the colors dance across the sky. The sweep of the light from the Navy base added to the night. I didn’t mind being out of New Orleans so much that day.

An interview with me

Apr25

Dawn Chartier writes paranormal stories will strong female characters, and I encourage you to read her novella from The Wild Rose Press Not an Angel. She interviewed me for her blog, and I’m so glad she did. I rarely think of what made me set my story in New Orleans. Yes, I live here, and that’s reason enough. Yet, it’s not the only reason.

So, why did I set Party Favors in the Crescent City? You have to visit Dawn’s blog to find out…

Heavy

Apr11

I’m slightly impaired today. I wrenched my left shoulder, and the unhappy muscles are cramping. That whole arm feels heavy, which makes typing an interesting endeavor. I’ve trimmed my writing time to 20 minute sprints followed by stretching so that the shoulder doesn’t get worse.

The oversized Bichon Frise

The other impairment is my dog’s head. It’s on my lap, her nose just fits between the laptop and my torso. It’s growing warmer in New Orleans, so I assumed the dog wouldn’t snuggle quite so closely. Apparently to her, the snuggling is worth the price of extra heat. After a few minutes, her head grows heavy and I want to shift her. I don’t, though. The other alternative is that she shoves her snout against my leg and snores. That is much more distracting.

(In other news, SammyJo won a copy of my short story. I’ve emailed her. Wheee! Free stuff. Gotta love that.)

Giving Someone a Gift

Apr7

UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER! SAMMYJO!

 

Tomorrow=Birthday

How will I celebrate it? Going to the hair salon for highlights.

Are you waiting for something more? Some crazy, out of the world celebration?

Wrong woman.

Instead of receiving gifts, I will give away a copy of my story, Party Favors, to a random commenter. All you have to say is, I want one before midnight Central (US) time. You can even leave off the Happy Birthday part.

So, help me celebrate my birthday by saying hello. I might even put on that bustier I think my lover got me.

Weekend for Writers

Apr2

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For the past 24 hours, I have been at the Dreaming in Dallas conference. My trip didn’t begin well, but I disposed of my bad attitude due to bad transportation with a glass of wine and discussions on writing.

Today has been full with classes and agent appointments for everyone. Julia London presented my favorite session. She gave her ten rules for a saner happier writer. We apparently need that, because so many times we forget that we are writers who have to produce. We also have lives and people around us who don’t understand that our writing time is working time. I also bought a book from her last night, and I am hooked already.

I didn’t learn much craft but that could be due to the sessions I chose rather than the sessions offered. What I did gather was more confidence and inspiration to keep writing and creating. I didn’t bring my laptop, which means I will type with my thumbs tonight on my Droid’s word processing program. That is the tradeoff. Thumbs versus the hassle of taking the ‘puter on the plane.

There are plenty of conferences out there. They are great places for education and the type of networking that fill your life with people who understand you as a writer. Take a look for one in your area. They are listed with RWA. Or go to the national conference. I’ll sit that one out though. But, you go and tell me all about it.