By Leigh Royals

The trash man just rolled by. I found this out as my loverly husband was saying, “Baby, you won’t believe it, but the trash just went by.”

Why is this so unbelievable? Because, I had arranged for the garbage to be taken, but anticipating a blown-away trash receptacle, I just brought the 90-gallon can back from the curb. I didn’t want to be chasing debris around my yard that made its way there due to the tropical force winds breezing through the coast of the Carolinas. We think the truck was going on its first pass and we scrambled to get the rest of the trash to the street. What is the point? Good planning. It is so important in any literary work, Heck! In life too! Good planning would have allowed me to stay home with my kids when their school closed without getting any grief from work. Good planning would keep my house clean. Good planning would simplify so many matters in life that chaos allows to muck up.

But with writing, not everyone can be a pantster. “What is a pantster?” I asked six months ago. It turns out, there are some truly talented people who can write and write and voila! They’ve written straight from page one to ‘The End’. I used to be like that, but now have less time to devote to writing than I used to. (Note to self, refresh on Time Management Workshop.) So for those of us who cannot accomplish that feat, good planning is necessary.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of scheme, er, method. You have to find what works best for you. For some, note cards are handy. One fellow Diva can write the beginning and the end, but not the middle and this system can be quite helpful for her. By note carding, she can brainstorm and write pages around her ideas. Sure, she may not keep all of it, but it is better to write trash than nothing. You never know when an idea is going to appear and if it is appropriate for the current WIP or a future one. You can always edit later. I started my WIP as a pantster, but when I got stuck, I took my little legal notepad and stole away to my private place. That’s the bathroom, but it isn’t really that private. Just like Gina’s niblets, mine park within the vicinity and wonder what I’m doing. Helloooo, I’m baking a cake. But seriously, I did a timeline, an outline, character description and notes about what to research. That was a lot!

Another way to coordinate writing by good planning is to write backwards. What? That’s crazy you say?! I say no! Write your happily ever after, then develop the goals, motivations, and conflicts that the hero and heroine underwent to get to that point. No one starts out HEA. How did they get there?

Keep post-it notes or a handy-dandy notebook to jot down thoughts that randomly pop in when doing your day job. That way, if the ideas are related to the WIP, you can develop them. If these bits of brilliance are irrelevant to the main course, save them anyway, you can use them later. That’s how I got four shorts in the works. I still have to remind myself not to get distracted by so many tasks at once. (For more on that refer back to ‘Perseverance vs. Procrastination’ written by Michelle Arroyo).

Aha! My curb is sans garbage. Next time, I’ll find out from the public works department with time to spare as to whether or not the pick-up schedule is to be interrupted or not. I plan to be better informed and prepared!

By Heather Lester

I know what you’re thinking: giant squid can’t possibly have anything to do with romance novels – and until I read Shirley Jump’s Her Frog Prince, I would have had to agree with you.

Her Frog Prince is the story of bored socialite Parris Hammond and marine biologist Brad Smith. Parris has only one goal: to get through the charity auction her father has put her in charge of, when anything that can go wrong, does. When she falls overboard during a cruise, scruffy marine biologist Brad Smith is forced to abandon his research and play reluctant hero. Naturally the two are immediately at odds with each other, he believing her to be shallow and the type bent on changing him, much like his former fiancée; she believing him to be a poor, rude, down-on-his-luck fisherman. There are some truly funny scenes in the book but, while I enjoyed the story, I have to admit that what I found most fascinating was the originality of the plot — Brad’s quest for the fabled giant squid.

Sure, I’d heard about these creatures over the years, but not being a science geek, I had never actually read anything on them, or had mostly tuned out any mention of them in the news. The thought of giant squishy things with long tentacles gives me more chills than it does thrills, but that’s just me. I spent years in the company of an Italian friend’s family, pointedly steering clear of the calamari during their annual clan gathering. I admit it — I’m not an adventurous person by nature, especially where food is concerned, and the thought of eating anything with tentacles makes me positively squeamish. So, you can understand why I wouldn’t willingly go in search of information on the giant species.

Which is why I was surprised at how fascinated I was by this unique plot in Shirley Jump’s book. Maybe it’s not the idea of a 30 to 50-foot-long squid that interested me so much as the idea of what else might be lurking beneath the depths of the ocean. For all that we’ve uncovered in decades of archeological digs and deep-sea adventures, there’s actually very little we know about this vast planet of ours — or the galaxy beyond.

But why, you are probably wondering, am I just now getting around to talking about this book? What could possibly be the point?

The point would be the picture staring at me from this week’s newspaper, stuck way back on page nine with a large caption that read, “Photos capture live giant squid.” And there, fully visible above the headline, was a grainy black and white image of a 26-foot-long Architeuthis, photographed some 3,000 feet under the sea, off the coast of Japan.

Although the creature was filmed last September, ending a three-year effort by the Japanese team who finally succeeded where others have failed, the results were not announced until they were published in Wednesday’s issue of the British journal, the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The parallels between fact and fiction are amazing. Shirley Jump’s book was published in December 2004, nearly a year before these findings were published but mere months after the sighting. Marine biologists have been in search of the giant squid for some time now. According to Japanese team member Tsunemi Kubodera, their discovery was “the result of 10 years of sleuthing” and three years active looking. And, much like Jump’s Brad Smith, they followed sperm whales — which hunt the squid for food — in hopes of finding them. For the Japanese trio, their quest may have taken three years, but for them (and science in general), the end result was worth it.

If there is a lesson here that can be related to writing, I guess it would that, if you keep at it long enough, if you plumb all the depths of the ocean and never give up, you’ll eventually find your giant squid. Just look for the sperm whale — whatever that may be for you — to guide you on your quest.

Hyperlinks to add:

Giant Squid

Shirley Jump B&N Link

Shirley Jump Website

By Jean Lauzier

Love stories…boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back and they live happily ever after. The secretary, nurse, teacher falls for the boss or powerful brooding man who has no clue she even exists and of course, the knight in shining armor who comes to rescue the damsel in distress. Remember those? So did I, and when it was suggested I should try my hand at writing a romance story, I promptly refused with an “I’ll never write that stuff.” But life likes to throw us curves and I fell headfirst into the romance genre. Not only did I learn to swim, but I now call “romance” home. Let me tell you about my genre.

There’s suspense. Curling up in front of a fire with a great mystery is one of the best ways to spend a winter evening. Murder and mayhem, cops, robbers, good guys and bad ones. Add romance to the mixture and you have two great stories for the price of one.

Something more old fashioned to your taste? Try a historical. No matter your favorite time period, someone is writing about it. From the middle ages to the days of the old west, and what ever country you dream of, you are sure to find just what you are looking for. Time traveling through the ages is a great way to spend an evening.

In the mood for a little more excitement and action? Try a military romance. Yes, I know it sounds strange, but women are doing things never dreamed of in the seventies. Spies, mercenaries, pilots, undercover agents, police officers and border patrol agents are just a few of the many careers you will find in this subgenre.

Got your head in the clouds and are a bit of a dreamer? Romance has that too. From fantasy to science fiction, you can dance with elves and fairies or explore new galaxies far, far away.

One of the most pleasant surprises I received when exploring the romance genre was finding the vampire/werewolf books. Not only are these not what I expected, but they are powerfully written and practically burst with emotion. Another great subgenre for curling up in front of that fireplace is the paranormal romance. I just love a good ghost story and here you can find all kinds.

Today, I discovered medical romances. Doctors and nurses saving lives while falling in love and trying to have a personal life of their own. I have got to check those out.

As the mom to a younger, teenage daughter, I like to be able to share my love of reading. And in the romance genre I can. From inspirational to contemporary “sweet” stories, we can discuss our likes and dislikes and how we “thought” the plot should go. It makes for good conversation on the way to town when it is just the two of us.

Not in the mood for something sweet? Then try something hot and spicy. Again, romance has something for everyone. From those who like no sex or to leave it behind closed doors to those who want passion and intimate details, you will find it.

The romance genre is full of wonder. From exotic locations to the town right down the road with characters we can’t help but fall in love with and cheer for. There is a great story for every mood, season or taste. I’m proud to call “romance” home.