Books
My nephew wants to write a book, so no big surprise that he loves peppering me with questions: how do I do this, how do I do that?
I love teaching, so I never mind his questions. Just as I never mind the time and effort that go into preparing and presenting my workshops. And as I work on a new project, I’m often drawn back to my own favorite writing teachers–my personal cure for writer’s block and gaining the motivation to tackle revisions.
Since I never had formal training, my personal instructors come in the form of writing books. But hey, how can you go wrong learning from the likes of Stephen King, David Morrell, Terry Brooks, Ray Bradbury, etc. I’m not sure why they’re all written by men, but they work to motivate me. As do books from Donald Maass, Syd Field, Dwight Swain, and Robert McKee.
Again, more men….and despite the treasure trove of sage wisdom and advice these authors offer, I can’t help but wishing other authors would write how-to books. Authors like Mark Helprin and Alice Hoffman–how do they create their worlds of magical realism so effectively and seemingly effortlessly? Or Joseph Campbell–what wonderful insights to be gained if he’d translated his own work for writers instead of Vogler?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Alexandre Dumas shared his world-building techniques? Or Charlotte Bronte her character building and GMC tricks? How about Charles Dickens, what fantastic tips on productivity, deadlines, plotting, and audience expectations could be learned! Or Shakespeare?
Obviously the list could go on. And obviously, most of these writers aren’t able to write a how-to book at this time (unless you believe in seances <g>). So how can we learn from these masters of the craft?
Here’s what I keep telling my nephew. Writers write. And writers read.
Because as long as there are books on the shelf, school is never out.
So, who are your favorite teachers?
CJ
PS: my nephew is only ten, but already studying current masters (JK Rowling) as well as past (JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis)
PPS: my own favorite how-to: Ray Bradbury’s Zen and the Art of Writing followed by a quick read of either his Dandelion Wine or Something Wicked This Way Comes…
Books
I just returned from a trip filled with firsts. My first trip to Denver; my first time doing the “face” thing with booksellers, asking them to remember my book and perhaps schedule me for an event next March when LIFELINES debuts; my first Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold conference; and my first ever keynote speech.
Can I just say, Wow!!!
I was nervous about all of the above except visiting Denver. Turns out that was the only thing I should have been worried about—the first night I stayed with a friend at high elevation and got acute mountain sickness. Otherwise known as barf-o-rama in the guest bathroom.
But the next day I was fine. We traveled to bookstores in Denver and Boulder and holy smokes, this place felt like a writers Nirvana!
Not only were there bookstores everywhere (the nearest one to me here at home is 30 minutes away and is a chain store) but they were filled with people—gulp—reading!!! Not to mention the wonderful booksellers, like Lauri Ver Schure at Murder by the Book and Cynthia Nye at High Crimes Mystery Bookstore.
Both of these wonderful ladies ignored their ringing phones and inventory stocking to stop and chat books with us—aw bliss! Not only were they warm and welcoming to this soon-to-be-released author, they seemed genuinely interested in LIFELINES and its cross-genre appeal to their customers.
Being in their stores, talking with people who love books as much as I do felt like coming home!
And that same welcome-home feeling continued once I made it to the conference. The folks at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers not only put on a stellar conference that was well-organized and filled with great workshops and panels, they also exhibit a level of writing talent that is truly amazing.
There I was sitting with people like Jeanne Stein, a newly minted NYT bestseller; Mario Acevedo whose vampire detective stories are as sly and witty as the man himself is in real life; YA author Bonnie Ramthun whose mastery of all things Mac kept me from committing hari-kari via laptop; and the always uplifting and energizing NYT bestseller Joan Johnston who offered her wisdom and expert advice on this wild and whacky publishing business.
Then they call me up to give the Kickoff Keynote Address. Yikes! Here I am, unknown, unpublished (until next March!), about the most unlikely Guest of Honor you could ever meet…..and my job is to inspire and motivate all these wonderfully talented people???
Yet, somehow, I wasn’t nervous or scared. That’s how comfortable and accepted they made me feel. And with folks like Vicki Law, Marne Kirstatter, and my hostess, Margie Lawson, leading the way, how could I feel anything but?
So I spoke from the heart. Asking hard questions, sharing a little of my own life and the answers I’ve discovered, challenging the audience to search for their own answers. My speech was titled after the conference itself: Dreams to Reality and in it I explored why I write and what makes a “real” writer.
I was certain it was all just maudlin-Disneyesque crap, wondered right up to the moment I stepped on stage if I shouldn’t just grab a football and punt it as my “kickoff” instead. But they laughed at all the right spots, cheered at all the right spots, even cried (well, not Mario of course—he has that tough guy vampire detective street cred to keep intact).
Afterwards, the most amazing thing happened. For the next two days of the conference, writers—published and unpublished—kept coming up to me and thanking me!!! Saying that my speech had touched them, inspired them, helped them as writers.
Now it was my turn to blink back tears—I felt so privileged that they would invite me into their lives and share that with me.
I realized that this also reflects my highest aspirations for my writing—to reach out, connect with a reader and through them change the world, one reader at a time. How fitting is it that I plan to return to Denver and launch LIFELINES at Left Coast Crime next March?
Although, it seems desperately far away, because now I’m hooked!! I want to have this feeling again—and again and again!!
Thanks for reading!
CJ
Books
Lyons’ Tales, Summer 2007
In this issue:
–CJ’s News
–Where in the world is CJ?
–Exclusive for subscribers
–Contest Winner
–New Contest: Win an Evening with George Clooney, Patrick Dempsey, and Godiva Chocolate!!
CJ’s News:
We now have a title and release date for my first Berkley medical suspense. LIFELINES is due out April 1, 2008!
LIFELINES follows the women of Pittsburgh ‘s Angels of Mercy Medical Center as they fight to save lives and stop a killer.
I’m currently hard at work on the second in the series, CHANCE TO CUT, and hope to have more news on it, cover art for LIFELINES, and some early reviews in the next issue of Lyons ‘ Tales.
Where in the world is CJ?
ThrillerFest was a blast—for anyone who hasn’t been, definitely mark your calendars for next July!
Next up I’ve been invited to be the Kickoff Keynote Speaker for the Colorado Gold Conference, September 14-16, 2007.
I’ve also been invited to give my Chasing the Muse half day workshop for the Heart of Denver’s RWA on October 20, 2007.
Upcoming online courses include:
–Kills, Chills, and Thrills: Writing the Thriller Novel, August, Carolina Romance Writers
–Chasing the Muse, September, Outreach International
–Trauma 101, October, LowCountry RWA
Be sure to check out my website http://www.cjlyons.net/ for new appearances and workshops!
Exclusive for Lyons ‘ Tales Subscribers!
As a thank you to all my loyal supporters, I’m continuing to offer content that is exclusively for you and students of my workshops.
This issue I’m giving you access to my Secrets of Pitching article. Next issue, I’ll be giving you my interview with Lisa Gardner about her Adventures in Research. If you want to receive either of these articles, sign up for my mailing list by clicking here.
Contest Winner!
The winner of this issue’s contest prize, a $25 dollar Barnes and Noble gift card is….L. Messer!
Send me your snail mail address and I’ll get your prize out to you, asap!
New Contest!
All Lyons ‘ Tales subscribers will be entered in my new contest:
Win an Evening with George Clooney, Patrick Dempsey, and Godiva Chocolate!!
You’ll have a chance to win DVD’s of Season One of ER and Grey’s Anatomy as well as a box of Godiva Chocolate!
Look for the winner in the next issue of Lyons ‘ Tales!
Note: this contest will be open to continental addresses only
That’s it for now! Anyone in Denver or taking my online workshops between now and the Fall issue of Lyons ‘ Tales, be sure to give a shout out and tell your friends.
And as always, thanks for reading!
CJ
No One is Immune to Danger…
http://www.cjlyons.net/
LIFELINES, Berkley April, 2008
Books
The headline reads: New Drug Deletes Bad Memories
Wow! Sounds like this must be cutting edge science, right?
Only two problems: the drug isn’t new and it doesn’t “delete” memories.
In fact, this drug has been around for a long time and for years has been used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy to treat Post-Traumatic Stress, panic attacks and other anxiety-spectrum disorders.
And no, it doesn’t delete or erase bad memories. Rather, it blocks the physiologic effects (racing heart, palpitations, sense of panic, etc) produced by the stress hormones when people re-live those memories.
Why does the media feel like it has to lie to us in order to get our attention long enough to tell us the truth?
Although, I must admit, these folks (Dinner guest finds host’s wife and son in freezer) might have wished it was the truth!
Books
What is going on here?
Police in Oklahoma arrested a 12 year old and her 10 year old sister.
Why? What normal childhood hi-jinks did these two girls get involved in?
They kidnapped a neighbor’s infant baby. Yes, these two budding criminal masterminds snuck into the neighbor’s house at night, took the baby and left a note demanding a ransom of $200,000.00
They were caught when their mother found them hiding the baby boy. If it wasn’t for the fact that babies are hard to hide when you’re too young to drive them anywhere, these girls would have followed through with their plans.
And then there’s the 11 year old who led police on a high speed chase topping 100mpg. Where was she headed in such a hurry? To pick her sister up at a concert.
Oh yeah, she was also intoxicated when the police stopped her.
Finally, how about the 4 year old who called 911 almost 300 times last month? What was her emergency?
She wanted the police to bring her food from McDonald’s–guess her mom was trying to get her to eat healthy.
So…..the big questions: Where were the parents? And where did things go wrong with these kids?
