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1. The Boss - a real go-getter, she climbs the ladder of success
2. The Seductress - an enchantress, she charms to get her way
3. The Spunky Kid - gutsy and true, she is loyal to the end
4. The Free Spirit - an eternal optimist, she dances to unheard tunes
5. The Librarian - controlled and clever, she holds back
6. The Waif - a distressed damsel, she bends, but does not break
7. The Crusader - a dedicated fighter, she meets commitments
8. The Nurturer - serene and capable, she nourishes the spirit

Archetype Pairs
Now that we have covered the basic eight hero and eight heroine archetypes, we can move on to the fun part - pairing up our heros and heroines!  To do this, we need to consider the type of story and what sort of character personalities will be needed to drive it.  Regardless of the type of story, your characters will need to have specific traits, qualities, virtues, flaws, quirks that make them unique.  Their occupation will need to be aligned with this if they like their occupation or very contrary to their character if they dislike their work. 

With respect to character pairs, the combination of a specific hero and a specific heroine should result in each character "learning" and "growing" from the relationship in a way that is unique to the pairing.  This is the character arc.  If both your hero and heroine have the essentially the same archetype, you need to ask yourself, how can they help each other grow?  What does each bring to the relationship?  If your characters are too much alike, it will be difficult to show and motivate the conflict between your characters (i.e. what is keeping them from their happily ever after).  However, if they have very different and unique inherent flaws that need to be overcome, then you might have a good conflict and thus a good story to tell.

The Warrior and the Librarian
Let's look at an example from The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, Sue Viders, pg 177-178, 2000 edition.  The pairing up of the warrior and the librarian is very common in action movies and romantic suspense novels.  Why?  Because the inherent conflicts between these two archetypes and their very different reactions to external conflicts can lead to very interesting scenarios and there are, of course, ample character growth opportunities.  In the analysis below, think of the movie True Lies.  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the warrior, Harry Tasker and Jamie Lee Curtis plays the Librarian, Helen Tasker.

The Conflict
- the warrior is a man of action, he makes decisions quickly and acts on them immediately.  The librarian, on the other hand, is very controlled and methodical.  She suffers from paralysis through analysis and will analyze every situation, every problem from all angles before making a decision.  Interestingly, both these archetypes share the trait of being headstrong or willful although it may be externalized in very differently.  She may be very conservative and set in her ways.  He maybe very stubborn or obstinate.

Initially, the warrior may perceive the librarian as being indecisive whereas she will see him as being impulsive.

The Similarities
- as already mentioned, both archetypes are headstrong or willful.  They are also both loners, leading mostly solitary lives.  Neither wants to be in the spotlight.  They are serious, focused, and perfectionists.  They demand it of themselves and of others which pushes people away but, may be one of the things that attracts each of them to the other.

The Growth
- the warrior will realize that he may be too quick to judge and make decisions in some cases.  There will be a situation in which she, with her focus on the detail, will catch something that he misses.  He will start to think more before he leaps and will try to gather more information before making judgements.
- the librarian will delight in being the focus this man who's personality is strong and dominant.  She will experiment with taking chances and acting outside of her conservative comfort zone.  The pair will be placed in situations where the warriors quick decision making and action will show her that not all details are needed or even relevant and that quick decisions can be made on partial information.  He cures her of her paralysis through analysis.

As you can see, such a combination of archetypes can lead to some very interesting conflicts in the first part of your story.  Each can learn from the other and grow as a character.  And very importantly, especially in romantic suspense, the "flaw" of each character can be transformed into a "quality" that will solve or resolve the main external conflict in the story.

Other Archetype Pair-ups
Let's take a look at some popular movies, television shows or novels and see if we can determine the archetypes of the hero and heroine.



The Charmer and the Boss
Castle - Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) is a Charmer whereas Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) is a Boss.  If you recall, the Charmer is a player, he thinks life is a game.  He's all about the fantasy.  The Boss is a go-getter who lives for the job. They are very similar in that they are both very dynamic and both want to win.  However, their methods for winning are very different. 

The Lost Soul and the Waif
Twilight - Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is a Lost Soul whereas Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is a Waif.  The Lost Soul broods and is highly critical of others.  The Waif is very passive and accepting of the world around her.  They both are very isolated.  He hides himself away and she withdraws into herself.  He is forced out of hiding by her need for protection also forcing him to fight back and become stronger. On the other hand, sometimes she finds that he needs to be rescued by her.  To do this, she too must become more brave and less gullible.

The Bad Boy and the Spunky Kid
Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich - Ranger is a Bad Boy and Stephanie Plum is a Spunky Kid.  The Bad Boy doesn't take anything at face value and he hates rules except for his own.  He's in charge and has his own code of honor. The Spunky Kid, for the most part, believes people are inherently honest.  She is a team player and is willing to help wherever help is needed.  Both are very loyal once a bond of trust is established.  Eventually, he recognizes how special her loyalty is and begins to work with her as a team.  He learns from her optimism and her ability to never let bad luck get her down.

Your Turn!
Now it's your turn.  Do you have a favorite movie or book that was made magical by a fabulous pairing of hero and heroine?  Post a comment and tell us all about it.


 

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Happy Writing,
Kristine

Let's have a little fun today.  I received a Chinese Feng Shui Horoscope in an email and thought it was cute enough to share with all of you.  I promise, I'll get back to more serious writing focused blogs in a few days.

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This is a Chinese Feng Shui horoscope.

If you are honest this tells the truth.
Write your answers on paper.
To find your Feng Shui horoscope scroll down.

1. Which is your favorite color: Red, Black, Blue, Green or Yellow?
2. Your first initial?
3. Your month of birth?
4. Which color do you like more, Black or White?
5. The name of a person that is the same sex as you?
6. Your favorite number?
7. Do you like California or Florida more?
8. Do you like a Lake or the Ocean more?
9. Write down a Wish (a realistic one)

Hope you had fun!

When you are done, scroll down. Don't cheat!  

Answers:

1. If you choose:
Red:     You are alert and your life is full of love.
Black:   You are conservative and aggressive.
Green:  Your soul is relaxed and you are laid back.
Blue:    You are spontaneous and love affection.
Yellow: You are a very happy person and give good advice to those who are down.

2. If your initial is between:
A-K: You have a lot of love and friendships in your life.
L-R: You try to live your life to the max and your love life is soon to bloom.
S-Z: You like to help others and your future looks very bright.

3. If you were born in:
Jan-Mar:  The year will go very well for you and you will discover that you fall in love with someone totally unexpected.
Apr-Jun:   You will have a strong love relationship that will last forever.
Jul-Sep:    You will have a great year and will experience a major life changing experience for the good.
Oct-Dec:   Your life will be great; you will find your soul mate.

4. If you choose:
Black: Your life is about to get better. You are more than ready for the change.
White: You have a friend who completely confides in you and would do anything for you, but you may not realize it.

5. This person should be your Best Friend.

6. This is how many close friends you will have in your life time..

7. If you choose:
California :  You like adventure.
Florida :      You are a laid back person.

8.. If you choose:
Lake :   You are loyal to your friends and your lover.. You are very reserved.
Ocean: You are spontaneous and like to please people.

9... This wish will come true if you send this to 1 person in one hour. Send
   this to ten people and it will come true before your next birthday.

So, does the result sound like you?  Leave a comment and let us know!

 

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Happy Writing,
Kristine

  
Seductress or Librarian? Nurturer or Crusader?  Which classic heroine archetype best fits your personality?  Which archetype do you prefer your heroines to be?  In this blog, we'll take a look at the eight classic heroine archetypes and then I'll let you know which one I am! 

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Heroine Archetypes
The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Cara LaFever and Sue Viders is a fascinating book that breaks down the vast array of human personalities into sixteen classic archetypes - eight for heres and eight for heroines.  (The following definitions are borrowed from The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, Sue Viders, pg 50, 2000 edition).

 

1. The Boss - a real go-getter, she climbs the ladder of success
2. The Seductress - an enchantress, she charms to get her way
3. The Spunky Kid - gutsy and true, she is loyal to the end
4. The Free Spirit - an eternal optimist, she dances to unheard tunes
5. The Librarian - controlled and clever, she holds back
6. The Waif - a distressed damsel, she bends, but does not break
7. The Crusader - a dedicated fighter, she meets commitments
8. The Nurturer - serene and capable, she nourishes the spirit

For each archetype, the authors discuss various traits affecting personality such as qualities, virtues, flaws, background, styles and as well as potential occupations. 

As I mentioned in my last blog on Hero Archetypes, the authors also show how each of the hero archetypes interact, affect or are affected by each of the heroine archetypes.  For example, the Professor and the Seductress.  They clash - each is baffled by the other.  She doesn't understand why he is more focused on her mind than her physical attributes.  On the other hand, they have many points in common - each likes to be in their own head and consider the impacts of their options before acting.  Each changes becoming somewhat more like the other.  He learns that the body can be as enjoyable as the mind and she learns that she is more than just a body.

In my next blog, I will discuss some of the more interesting match-ups and see if we can find possible examples of them in contemporary novels, movies or television shows.

What Archetype Am I?

Here goes, my personality matches the LIBRARIAN archetype.   Is this surprising?  Not really.  I think the librarian personality archetype is probably very common among authors as writing is a very solitary, detailed oriented occupation.  And hey, you know what they say about librarians when they let their hair down!



Now it's your turn to spill the beans. What archetype best matches your personality? 

Heroines: Contemporary Examples
What's your favorite heroine archetype and can you think of an example in a book, movie or TV show?

While I was quite clear on my favorite hero archetype, I'm not so certain of my favorite female archetype.  Do you have a favorite?  If so, what is it?

Lets look at the heroines in some popular modern fiction and try to identify the archetype.

Spunky Kid
Rachel Morgan in Kim Harrison's Hallows Series
Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series
Betsy Taylor in MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy Series

I think all three of these heroines represent various facets of the SPUNKY KID archetype. 
- Stephanie is probably a Spunky Kid archetype.  She's your average girl with average talents but she doesn't let that hold her back.  She jumps head first into any situation and makes the best of it.
- Rachel is a witch but she was a normal witch until she discovered her affinity for demons. 
- Betsy was your usual working girl until she was bitten by a vampire and became the Vampire Queen. 

Boss
Dr. Kerry Weaver in ER
Adele DeWitt in Dollhouse
 - both of these characters are confident and dynamic.  Both are blunt and live for their job.

Boss or Librarian?
Dr. Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs
- Dr. Brennan is an interesting character.  In many aspects, she is the boss - she is confident, the best in her field and she got there by being a perfectionist and a workaholic. In Reichs books, Brennan is shown to be introverted and although she has been married and has a child, relationships prove to be a challenge to her.
My vote is that she is a Librarian.

On television, there are many examples of crusader (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), free spirit (Dharma in Dharma and Greg), Nurturer (mom's in any of the old sitcoms - think June Cleaver).  Can you think of examples of these archetypes in novels?  If so, please let me know. 

It's your turn now!  Post a comment and let us know what archetype fits you best and why.

 

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Happy Writing,
Kristine

Every now and then we read a book, see a movie or even watch a TV show that has a main character that all women love and all men want to be.  What makes these hero's so special that we remember them long after we've finished reading or watching their story?

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Hero Types
I recently discovered a fascinating book called The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Cara LaFever and Sue Viders.  According to the authors, there are eight hero archetypes (the following definitions are borrowed from The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, pg 2, 2000 edition). 

1. The Chief - a dynamic leader, he has time for nothing but work
2. The Bad Boy - dangerous, he walks on the wild side
3. The Best Friend  - sweet and safe, he never lets anyone down
4. The Lost Soul - a tormented being, he lives in solitude
5. The Charmer - a smooth talker, he creates fantasies
6. The Professor - coolly analytical, he knows every answer
7. The Swashbuckler - Mr. Excitement, he's an adventurer
8. The Warrior - a noble champion, acts with honor

For each archetype, the authors discuss various traits affecting personality such as qualities, virtues, flaws, background, styles and even occupations.  The authors also define eight archetypes for heroines (which I'll cover in my next blog) as well as how all of these different archetypes for heroes and heroines interact.  For example, the Professor and the Seductress.  They clash - each is baffled by the other.  She doesn't understand why he is more focused on her mind than her physical attributes.  On the other hand, they have many points in common - each likes to be in their own head and consider the impacts of their options before acting.  Each changes becoming somewhat more like the other.  He learns that the body can be as enjoyable as the mind and she learns that she is more than just a body.
 
The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden was recommended to me by many published and pre-published writers as a guide to creating compelling, three dimensional characters with believable character arcs and interactions with their counterparts.

Last December, Angela Guillaume of The Pop Culture Divas wrote an interesting blog on the Anti-hero, an extreme version of the bad boy or lost soul archetype.  

Heroes: Contemporary Examples
What's your favorite archetype and can you think of an example in a book, movie or TV show?

My favorites are Lost Souls and Bad Boys and Warriors.  (Hey, I write Romantic Suspense - what did you expect?)

Lost Soul - Gerard Butler's Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.
                Zsadist in J.R. Ward's Lover Awakened

Bad Boy -  Damon in The Vampire Diaries
                Nick Ziegler in Jennifer Crusie's Crazy For You

Warrior - Senior Chief Stanley Wolchonok in Suzanne Brockmann's Over The Edge
              Jake Dolan in Cherry Adair's Kiss and Tell

So of all the above, who's my current all time favorite?  The Phantom of course.  (But Z is a really close second!)



It's your turn now!  What's your favorite hero type? 

I love to hear from you, so please continue to post your comments.  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow me by clicking on the image below.

 

Happy Writing,
Kristine

Like many of you, I’m only just making my first forays into the wild and wacky world of social networking.  Last November, I got started on Facebook .  It was a relatively painless process and so far I’m liking it.  But more and more, I’m seeing posts that people are forwarding from Twitter which, of course, peaked my interest.  So, I asked myself, "What exactly is all this Tweeting stuff?"

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Today, I decided to take the plunge and set up a Twitter account and later on, hook it up to my blog. The first thing I did was to search the internet on Twitter tips.  I was pleasantly pleased to stumble upon several very useful Twitter related posts on TipJunkie.  If you are thinking of using Twitter as a promotional tool, I recommend you checkout TipJunkie.

After reading all these tips, I typed twitter.com in my web browser and what did I get?  “Twitter is over capacity.  Please try again later.” 

What the heck?  Five or so minutes later, the site was back up but, still, should I have taken this as some kind of ominous sign?  No, no. Literally millions of people happily use Twitter every day.  Surely, I can too?  Right?  <gulp>

So, with bolstered hope, I went back to the sign up page and began the process of creating my Twitter account.  I entered my name, userID, password, email address, and completed the anti-spam check.  I clicked SUBMIT and then got … “Service Temporarily Unavailable”

What happened?  Do the stars need to be aligned to create a Twitter account?  Do I need to strip, offer up sacrificial virgins and dance in the forest?

Okay, Kristine.  Get a grip.  It’s not an ominous sign from the powers that be.  It’s just a network glitch.  Keep trying.

 I refreshed my web browser and few times and miracles of miracles, Twitter was back up and I was returned to my place in the start-up wizard.  At least it had managed to retain my account details.

Next step – add picture and design profile page.  Sounds simple right?  Well, it should be but my picture is actually a bitmap snapshot of my website and it was too large for Twitter.  After some fiddling, I managed to convert it to a .png file.  Unfortunately, Twitter cropped it so now all you see is Cayne and part of the face from the top of my website.  Note to self: need to get new picture.

Designing the profile page was fun.  I used an application called COLOURlovers to do it.  They offer a wide range of templates and colors that you can customize.

I added a small blurb about myself and then I was ready to add start following people.  And here is where I encountered another problem.  Although many people use their real names on Facebook, on Twitter, people tend to create a UserID and use that making it really hard to locate people you know.  Another thing is that while you may be following someone, they are not following you like in Facebook.  This is both good and bad.  Good because it prevents SPAM connections but bad because you have to do twice the work.  There’s even a tool available for cleaning up your followers list to remove people from your list that you follow but who don’t follow you!

It took me less than two months to make over 230 “friends” on Facebook.  It will be really exciting to see how long it takes to get 230 followers on Twitter.

My Twitter profile is now up and running and I am currently following 55 people and have 2 followers (one whom I don’t know).   I’ll keep you posted of my progress. <hehe>

I've heard lots of good things about Twitter and many writer friends of mine are using it daily.  I'm sure that once I get used to it, I'll love it like everyone else!

In the meantime, do you have a twitter account?  Do you like Twitter?  How does it compare to Facebook?  Do you use them differently?

I love to hear from you, so please continue to post your comments and let me know your Twitter experiences.

If you have a Twitter account, please follow me.

 

Happy Writing,
Kristine

In my quest for knowledge on how to revise my draft Obsession, to make it the best it can be, I came across a craft book called Revising Fiction:Making Sense of the Madness by Kirt Hickman.

• Filter Words and the Damage They Do
• "To be" or not "to be"
• 13 Ways to Show Character Emotions (Parts 1, II and III)

In Filter Words and the Damage They Do, Kirt explains how filter words act as a screen between the reader and the POV character, distancing the reader from the action in the story.  The before and after examples help the writer understand how to recognize filter words in their own work and how to rewrite passages to eliminate these words making their writing more gripping, pulling the reader into the story.

In "To be" or not "to be", Kirt points out common uses of the verb "to be" and through before and after examples, shows how passages can be rewritten to eliminate passive voice, past progressive tense and statements of being.  His examples show very clearly how such constructs can hurt your writing since they convey neither emotion nor action to the reader.  The images they produce are static and purely descriptive where we want compelling emotional writing that the reader will not be able to put down.  I have to admit that I was very surprised to see how often I used variations of "to be", passive voice and past progressive tense in my writing. 

In 13 Ways to Show Character Emotions, Kirt provides 13 very clear ways to show the reader the character's emotions without telling them.  How often have you read stories in which the author tells you how a character feels instead of showing you through their actions or thoughts?  Readers are smart and will draw their own conclusions.  Just in the first scene of Obsession, I was able to replace the telling of emotion and show it with at least three of the methods Kirt offers in this article.

Am I done revising this scene now that I've used the techniques described in Kirt's three articles to improve my writing?  No.  But I've taken a significant step forward and the scene is much tighter and stronger now. 

What about overall issues regarding plot, character development, etc.?  In Revising Fiction, Kirt covers all of these topics and more.  His advice targets your writing at the scene level, the character level and the plot level.  Regardless of the level or topic, he always provides clear explanations and examples that make it easy to understand both the problem and the solution(s).

As I continue to read through Revising Fiction (I'm on chapter 6 now), I'll apply Kirt's techniques to my writing, characters and plot. It will take some time but, in the end, I know that my writing will be stronger, my characters and their motivations more compelling, and my plot will be more exciting and suspenseful.



Oh God!  It's time to sharpen my pencil and get to work.  I have about 60-70 scenes to revise in the next 8 weeks!

How much do you revise your work?  Are your drafts almost final versions or do you throw away and rewrite most of your manuscripts? Do you follow some method or use a particular craft book to help you? 

I love to hear from you so please send me your comments on this blog or anything you'd like to talk about in a future blog.

Happy writing,
Kristine

January, particularly January 1st, is traditionally a time of new beginnings.  A time for making resolutions and establishing goals.  Up to now, while I have made New Year's Resolutions, I have not been particularly good a keeping them.  I seem to be somewhat better at setting goals and creating action plans to reach them.

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Why would it be easier to reach a goal than to sustain a resolution?  Let's first consider what exactly a resolution is, particularly a New Year's Resolution.  One definition of resolution is: a firm resolve or determination to do something.  We often hear people say things like - This year I will quit smoking or This year I will lose weight, or again, This year I will do more exercise. While these are all good ideas, they are really little more than concepts. If the speaker does not add more clarity and definition to their resolution, it will never be achieved.

So, what should we do?  A goal should be as SMART as possible. What does this mean?  Let's break it down.

S: A goal should be specific.  If your goal is to do more exercise, how much exercise to you want to do?  How many times a week?  For how long?  What kinds of exercise?

M: A goal should be measurable.  A goal should be concrete enough that you know whether or not you have met your goal.  If you goal is to increase your self promotion, then to make this goal measurable, you might say something like I will create a presence on Facebook, I will start a website, I will create a blog, etc.

A: A goal should be achievable.  If you have a full-time job and a houseful of small children, writing five full length novels in 2010 is probably not an achievable goal.  It may be more realistic to commit to writing one novel and then have a stretch goal of writing two novels.

R: A goal should be realistic.  It is important when setting a goal to consider your own circumstances and abilities so that you are not setting yourself up for failure.  For most of us first time writers, it is not a realistic goal to say, I will hit the NYT Bestseller's list lin 2010.

T: A goal should have a time frame.  For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you need to say if your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 3 months (unrealistic) or 20 pounds by September 1, 2010.  The second is realistically time bound.

For more complex goals, it is also a good idea to have an action plan that will help you reach your goal. 

With all of this in mind, I have reviewed some of my previously expressed goals and revised them to meet the SMART criteria.

2010 New Year's Resolutions (non-writing)

This year, I have a few of my traditional non-writing related New Year's resolutions. Now,that I've attempted to make them more SMART, I hope I'll be able to realize them.

1. I will lose 10 pounds by September 30, 2010.  (Action plan: take a walk at least 2-3 times a week)
2. I will floss at least 4-5 times a week.
3. I will play at least one board/card/dice game with my family each week.

2010 New Year's Writing Goals

I'm hoping that 2010 will be as good a year for me writing-wise as the end of 2009 has been.  And, I've set my 2010 goals with that in mind.

1. Finish final draft of Obsession by 3/01/2010 (Action plan: edit/revise 2.5 chapters/week)
2. Send Obsession to Beta Reviewers by 3/07/2010
3. Finish updates to Obsession based on Beta Reviewer comments by 4/11/2010
4. Send Obsession to Agents by 4/30/2010 (Action plan: Starting 3/07/2010, begin working on Query Letters and Synopsis.  Research agents and determine appropriate guidelines for each.)
5. Start working on draft of 2nd Novel by 5/1/2010 (Action plan: Starting 3/07/2010, begin research for 2nd Novel)
6. Finish first draft of 2nd Novel by 7/30/2010
7. Finish final draft of 2nd Novel by 9/30/2010 (Action plan: edit/revise 2.5 chapters/week)
8. Send 2nd Novel to Beta Reviewers by 10/7/2010
9. Participate in NaNoWriMo 2010 to start draft of 3rd Novel (50K words) on 11/01/2010. (Action plan: Starting 9/30/2010, begin research for 3rd novel.)
10. Finish updates to 2nd Novel based on Beta Reviewer comments by 12/30/2010
11. Send 2nd Novel out to Agents by 1/7/2011 ((Action plan: Starting 10/07/2010, begin working on Query Letters and Synopsis.  Research agents and determine appropriate guidelines for each.)

Phew!  I'm already tired, LOL!  Just kidding. There is a saying, "Plan your work and work you plan."  That is exactly what I intend to do.  Without a plan, without goals, I won't get anywhere.  While these goals are a bit of a stretch, I believe that we all need to be challenged a little in our lives.  The challenge forces us to reach beyond and accomplish things we never thought we could.

My husband is very supportive of my writing goals and without him, clearly, these goals would already not be achievable.  He ensures that I have writing time every day and often comes home from work to find me deep in a scene.  With a "you keep working" in my direction and only minimal muttering as he makes his way to the kitchen, he graciously prepares supper.  What more could a girl want 

BTW, as promised, here's the photo of the reward I gave myself for meeting my goal to complete the draft of Obsession by 12/31/2009.



Please continue to send me your comments.  I love hearing from all of you!

Happy New Year Everyone and Happy Writing,
Kristine

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In January 2009, I started the year off very optimistically.  I had just been elected treasurer of the Eastside RWA Chapter and I was going to get involved and kick off my writing career.  In October 2008 while attending the ECWC in Bellevue, WA, I signed up for the Cherry Adair Finish The Damn Book Challenge. I planned to rise to the challenge and write a book before October 2009.  At the same conference, I was fortunate enough to win a 3 Chapter Critique from Marianne Stillings.  So, needless to say, I was all set for 2009 to be the year.

In May 2009, I found myself a part of the CherryPlotters.  A group of wonderful women inspired by Cherry Adair, who got together to plot our books together.  By the end of May, I had learned how to use a plotting board and a multitude of colored post-it notes.  I had all the major plot points of my book plotted out.  All, I needed to do was write the Damn Book and then have Marianne critique the first three chapters to see how I was doing.

Unfortunately, due to a thorough lack of determination and self-discipline as well as a (un)healthy dose of Fear of Failure, October 2009 rolled around and I had not written my book.  ECWC 2009 was a truly wonderful and inspirational conference.  Seeing all the people who were being recognized for completing their first books, making their first sales, meeting the Cherry Adair Challenge and knowing that I was not one of them was a very upsetting experience.  But as they say, it's okay to fail as long as you learn from it.  Then and there, I made the commitment to myself that one more year would not pass me by.  I would meet my goals and I would have a book completed by October 2010.

After that, things started to fall in place.  I signed up for the Cherry Adair Finish The Damn Book Challenge again.  The CherryPlotters group solidified its charter and we now meet every 1-2 months.  And other important thing happened, Marianne Stillings and her Critique Group had an opening and they invited me to join them.  Meeting with these women every two weeks, reading and discussing our works in progress has been very motivational for me.

In November, thanks to the urgings of some Eastside RWA friends, I signed up for the NaNoWriMo Challenge to write 50K words in 30 days.  When I began the challenge, I never dreamed of actually writing 50K words in 30 days.  It was more than I had ever written before.  But with the support and encouragement of the Nano Insanity Support Group, I did it.

In December, I decided to finish the draft I'd started in November.  And again, with the support and encouragement of my critique group as well as the Nano Insanity Support Group, I met my December goal.

Below is the full list of my 2009 goals and status.  The overall goal was to write a book by October 2010.  But once I got started, I fine tuned the goal to be write a draft of a book by December 31, 2009.

1. May: Learn how to plot a romance novel. 
    Status: I plotted Obsession with ladies from the CherryPlotters.

2. October: Attended the 2009 ECWC (Emerald City Writer's Conference) and signed up for the Cherry Adair Finish the Damn Book Challenge.  Need to write and polish a book by 10/1/2010.   
    Status: The book I chose to write for the Cherry Adair Challenge is Obsession .  I committed to finishing this book by 10/1/2010 with around 100K words.  I'm well on my way to meeting this goal.   In fact, I plan to have the book agent ready by April 2010. 

3. October: Find a critique group.  
    Status: in October, I joined TBCG (The Best Critique Group)

4. November: Participated in the NaNoWriMo Challenge to 50K words in 30 days.  
    Status: As published on my blog, this goal was met on 11/25/2009.

5. November: I had a vague goal of starting some self promotion.  
    Status: On November 12, 2009, I launched my website (http://kristinecayne.com/) and my blog (http://blog.kristinecayne.com).

6. December: Created a personal goal of writing 35K words by 12/31/2009. 
    Status: As published on my blog, this goal was met on 12/29/2009.

7. December: Occasionally, people have asked me for my business card.  
    Status: I created my very first Kristine Cayne business cards in December.  They turned out pretty nice.  When I get a chance, I'll scan one and post it.

8. Overall 2009: I  created a personal goal to finish the draft of Obsession with around 110K words. 
    Status: As published on my blog, this goal was met on 12/29/2009 with a total of 110,287 words.

By the way, to get (almost) daily updates, check out my website www.kristinecayne.com. On the home page, there is a Facebook badge containing my status updates.  I try to my progress daily so it's easier for all of you to follow along in this wonderful journey of mine.

For those of you who missed the First Annual Kristine Cayne Cookie [Recipe] Exchange, here are the links to the recipes from previous blog posts.

Previous Recipes
Sugar Cookies
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Caden's Candy Cookies
Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints
Double Layer Jelly Cookies
Cranberry and Chocolate Cookies

Celebrate!!!

Now that all the hard work is over (for this year!), have a very Happy New Year's Eve.  Celebrate your successes and accomplishments for 2009 no matter how small.  (If you don't, who will?!)



Tomorrow we'll be talking about New Year's Resolutions for 2010.

Happy Writing,
Kristine