Will the Move Ever Be Done??

An Update!!! Don't Cry Wolf is scheduled for release March 1, 2009!



I'm in the middle of a nightmare move, so satellite's hooked up at my mother's house, but my network card isn't working. So what's new? I'm using her computer at my house, but nothing much works on it--no Word, so can't write, can't upload lessons to my students...argh. And she doesn't have a cordless mouse. I didn't remember how annoying/cumbersome the corded ones were!

But these covers are the bright spot in my week--What do you think?

Also, I'm shipping autographed copies of The Vampire...In My Dreams so if anyone is interested, email me at tspear@flash.net. Paypal and postal money orders/checks accepted. :)

Also, last chance to sign up for Happy Hookers if you need an online workshop that teaches about engaging the readers from start to finish! Starts Sep 1. http://www.terryspear.com/id14.html

Terry Spear
Heart of the Wolf, The Vampire...In My Dreams

Heroes in the Dating Game & 3-D Character Online Workshop

What does a hero need to do to garnish the heroine's attention?
Smile...talk to her about what she finds interesting. Approach her with confidence but not too quickly. Lean in and act interested, but back off if she leans away, her space invaded. Ask her for a date for something she expressed an interest in. Keep eye contact, listen, and lighten the tone of conversation. Be positive and fun.

Sound like a hero? Nope. LOL Sounds like the dating game. So what's wrong with the hero in this scenario? For fiction, NOT real life, the woman wants to be pursued, sought after, approached quickly, not left to linger, and often the conversation is confrontational and not sweet and light. There's no fun in reading about that.



:) So for dating tips, these are great ideas! For writers, forget it. We have to have conflict between the hero and heroine! That's what makes fiction fun to read. I think of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Lots of conflict, lots of fun, and lots of sexy make-ups afterwards. :) For fiction, sure it's great. But marriage? Nah.

So what do you think? Do heroes in real life and heroes in our stories have double standards?



Terry Spear
http://www.terryspear.com/
Heart of the Wolf, Don't Cry Wolf
Still time to sign up for the 3-D Characterization Class- just email me @ tspear@flash.net
Starts Jul 14-Aug 8 (4 weeks, 3 lessons per week, critiquing of your work, $20)

Jul 14-Aug 8 2008
What a Character!!! Jump from Cookie Cutter to Great 3-Dimensional Characters in Your Writing!
How many times have you heard how important it is to have 3-dimensional characters? That the publisher wants character-driven stories, not plot-driven? To show, not tell? But how easy is it to really write characters that come alive on the page? Some writers have a natural ability to concoct terrific characters who are full of life. Then there are the rest of us who need some help. In this workshop, Terry Spear will show the difference between average characterizations and those that will get noticed! In this online class, which features lectures, discussion, practical exercises, and handouts, she'll teach students how to captivate readers with engaging characters.

Terry Spear has published in many genres, including romantic suspense, contemporary, paranormal, and under the name Terry Lee Wilde, young adult paranormal and fantasy romances. She's the author of Winning The Highlander's Heart (Vintage), The Vampire...In My Dreams, Deadly Liaisons (Samhain), Heart of the Wolf, April, 2008, Don't Cry Wolf, April 2009, Betrayal of the Wolf, Allure of the Wolf (Sourcebooks), Deidre's Secret, Relative Danger (Wild Rose Press). She also writes nonfiction for numerous genealogy, WWII, teen, and family magazines, and has had romantic fiction published in magazines. Currently, she's working on her latest werewolf adult novel, Allure of the Wolf.

Recapturing the Muse!

Recapturing the Muse

Here was an interesting exercise we did in writing with my local romance writer’s chapter this past weekend. Each member brought in a sack of six items and then we passed them around. We had fifteen minutes to write a story, then share with the group. After we finished this, we had time enough to write a new story, swapping our goodies with another member. Ironically, we all had an easier time coming up with the first story. It was as if our minds were still hooked on the earlier story, and we had to shift gears too quickly to come up with a new story.

How else can you encourage your muse to jump into a creative writing exercise?

Begin a sentence: The cop pulled over the pickup, expecting to give a warning for a blinking taillight, but as he approached the back, the odor from the bed of the truck nearly knocked him off his feet.

Now, everyone can come up with a story, and as vast as writers’ backgrounds are, you can be sure everyone will create a unique tale.

Or start out with a prompt: If I had a million dollars, I would…

Or take a well-known fairytale and have everyone turn it into something different, different ending, maybe the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella has ulterior motives, maybe it’s set on Mars…

Writing exercises like this can help stimulate your muse. Brainstorming can too. With others or on your own, come up with twenty ways to solve a problem, or create a motivation, or a goal for your characters. By digging deeper, we can come up with twists and turns we might not have thought of initially.

So if your stuck, get creative! Recapture your muse!

Terry Spear


http://www.terryspear.com/

How Do You Name Your Characters?

I use The Writer Digest Character-Naming Sourcebook especially for ethnicity, interesting first names I've seen as writer's pseudonyms, names I've come across in genealogy searches--super for historicals (check out Rootsweb.com to see what names were popular when), google searches for a particular popular name for a certain ethnic group, baby naming guides on the Internet or in books.

Usually I have an idea what I want in the very beginning, but sometimes I have to change names if they sound too similar or start with the same letter so I don't confuse readers. Jake, Jack, Jock

Sometimes, if I've had a bad experience with someone, that name becomes my villain's name. Most often though, the name is chosen for its villainous quality—Crassus and Bruin for the bad lupus garous in Don’t Cry Wolf, Volan in Heart of the Wolf.

Devlyn, Heart of the Wolf

I try to make my name consistent with the character--a wimpy guy wouldn't be called Brutus or Hunter. A fairylike woman wouldn't be called Peg. The wrong name can jar the reader.

Devlyn is the hero in Heart of the Wolf—to me he sounds devilish, roguish. Bella is the heroine, old world feel to the name, also different, and since they live so long, it appealed.

Using the right name, can add a bit of characterization! Using the wrong name can give a wrong impression.

Have you ever read a book where you cringe every time you read a name because it just doesn’t suit the character? Sometimes it’s impossible to please everyone. I met a guy who said his ex-wife’s name was Terry, but he wouldn’t hold it against me. Everyone has bad experiences with someone during their lives, so any name can have a negative connotation to someone out there. All we can do is come up with the best name we can.

In one book, the names were so complicated, I stumbled over them all the time. Make them simple enough that your reader doesn’t have that much trouble. Not only did I stumble over the names, it was hard to keep track of who was who. Not good.

Not that a writer can’t go for something that isn’t usually done. But somehow I just can’t see a strong virile Timothy, or can you imagine Captain Bligh named Marion?

How do you come up with names for your stories?

Terry Spear, Heart of the Wolf (April 08), Don't Cry Wolf, Sourcebooks, http://www.terryspear.com/

Happy Hookers Online Workshop Coming February!

February 4-29, 2008

Happy Hookers! Engaging the Reader from Start to Finish

Instructor: Terry Spear
Cost: $25.00 payable by PayPal
Deadline to Register: January 30th

For more information go to:http://www.pasic.net/classes.html

Slow starts and sleepy endings to scenes and chapters can ruin a manuscript's chance of being published. Conversely, solid hooks can make the sale – as workshop instructor Terry Spear demonstrates, with six publishers currently hooked for six manuscripts. Setting such practical matters aside, what author wouldn't be thrilled to hear someone say, "I couldn't put the book down"? Strong hooks are a vital ingredient in strong writing. In this online class, which features lectures, discussion, practical exercises, and handouts, she'll teach students how to captivate readers with great openings, scene hooks, chapter cliff hangers, and intriguing back cover blurbs. Participants will have the chance to master the hook in all its environments, from the query letter through the novel.

About the Instructor:
Terry Spear has published in many genres, including historical romanticsuspense, contemporary, urban fantasy, and under the name Terry Lee Wilde, young adult paranormal and fantasy romances. She's the author of Winning the Highlander's Heart, is a debut paranormal author for Sourcebooks with the urban fantasy, Heart of the Wolf, coming April 1st, Don’t Cry Wolf, April 2009, and The Vampire…In My Dreams is already out with Samhain. Deadly Liaisons is coming in November, Relative Danger, TBA. She also writes nonfiction for numerous genealogy, WWII, teen, and family magazines, and has had romantic fiction published in magazines.

Currently, she's working on a third sequel to Heart of the Wolf, Betrayal of the Wolf.

Her website: http://www.terryspear.com/
Deadline to Register: January 30th
For more information go to: http://www.pasic.net/classes.html

I Got THE CALL!!!

I always love to hear stories of how an author got their first call. Most have written for years, love to read, loved to tell stories since they were small, but getting THE CALL is always unique.

For me, I received my first call for two books, The Vampire…In My Dreams and Ghostly Liaisons from Medallion Press. The way it happened was I was dying in bed with the worst flu that had hit me in a very long time. Fevers, chills, truly felt I couldn’t live another day. And then I got THE CALL. Forget the fevers, the chills, feeling like I was going to die any moment. I had to tell my family, and then I had to tell the world, via the Internet. I spent hours on the Internet, then finally went back to bed, contract fairies floating in my head.

Medallion Press closed the Young Adult line in September, the month before Ghostly Liaisons, my first book was to be released.

That’s okay. Because then I had the chance to receive THE CALL again. I kept sending out manuscripts, getting rejections, and sending out again. And it happened. It was similar to the first time…

“Is this book still available for sale?”

“Yes!”

Only this time the purchasing editor said she hadn’t finished reading it. But so far she loved it. “Was my werewolf world unique?”

Luckily, I had read several other werewolf novels and watched werewolf movies over the years and none of them had done what I had. Of course, I paused before I said yes. What if the editor didn’t want unique? Was it too different from other author’s works? Unique is great, but being too different, can be a problem. So, what did I say?

“Yes!”

Great, but she had to finish reading it. Talk about cliff hangers. She would get back with me in a few days. A few days passed, a few more. She called. She loved it. But it still wasn’t THE CALL. She had to pitch it before a board. Another week passed, and then a few days after that, it came.

“We want it!” she said.

I didn’t respond instantly. I kept waiting for the—but--

Nope, no “buts.” They wanted it! So HEART OF THE WOLF will be out April 1, 2008 and that’s no April Fools!!!

It received a terrific Publisher’s Weekly Review and the day after that my editor called and said, “I love Don’t Cry Wolf. I haven’t finished reading it, but if the end is as good as the rest, I’m pitching it to my Publisher next week.”

This time I was a little more reassured the news would be good, but until it’s really a done deal…it’s not a done deal.

And once again, I got THE CALL. Don’t Cry Wolf will come out in Spring, 2009!!!

This is what we work so hard for after writing and writing and writing, revising and revising some more, and suffering the interminable rejections, and finally there comes a day when we receive—THE CALL!

Don’t let those doubts get you down. Keep writing, revising, and submitting, and you can one day share with us your story of how you received THE CALL.

Terry Spearhttp://www.terryspear.com/, Heart of the Wolf, Don’t Cry Wolf, Winning the Highlander’s Heart, The Vampire…In My Dreams

Happy Hookers Online Workshop Coming February!

February 4-29, 2008 Happy Hookers!

Engaging the Reader from Start to Finish

Instructor: Terry Spear

Cost: $25.00 payable by PayPal

Deadline to Register: January 30th

For more information go to:http://www.pasic.net/classes.html

Slow starts and sleepy endings to scenes and chapters can ruin a manuscript's chance of being published. Conversely, solid hooks can make the sale – as workshop instructor Terry Spear demonstrates, with six publishers currently hooked for six manuscripts. Setting such practical matters aside, what author wouldn't be thrilled to hear someone say, "I couldn't put the book down"? Strong hooks are a vital ingredient in strong writing. In this online class, which features lectures, discussion, practical exercises, and handouts, she'll teach students how to captivate readers with great openings, scene hooks, chapter cliff hangers, and intriguing back cover blurbs. Participants will master the hook in all its environments, from the query letter through the novel.

About the Instructor: Terry Spear has published in many genres, including historical romantic suspense, contemporary, urban fantasy, and under the name Terry Lee Wilde, young adult paranormal and fantasy romances. She's the author of Winning the Highlander's Heart, is a debut paranormal author for Sourcebooks with the urban fantasy, Heart of the Wolf, coming April 1st, and The Vampire…In My Dreams is already out. Deadly Liaisons is coming in November. She also writes nonfiction for numerous genealogy, WWII, teen, and family magazines, and has had romantic fiction published in magazines. Currently, she's working on a sequel to Heart of the Wolf, Betrayal of the Wolf.

Her website: http://www.terryspear.com/

Deadline to Register: January 30th

For more information go to:http://www.pasic.net/classes.html

Pumping up Boring, Nothing Scenes...Make Them Work!

Watch out for Boring, Nothing Scenes!!!

What makes for a unexciting, dull scene?

By analyzing each and every scene, we can learn to avoid tedious scenes. Or at least recognize it when we're doing edits. Write them, fine, just to get something down on the paper. But edit the "boringness" out in the final phases of the process.

So what makes for a boring scene?

** Doing stuff, but not moving the story forward.
** No conflict.
** Not pursuing a goal
** Not showing something new and different...same old things repeated.
** Back story.
** Making unlikeable characters that we really don't care enough about to read.
** Not showing the motivation for why someone does something.
** Failure to show emotion.
** Failure to show actions and their resulting reactions.
** All dialogue.
** All narration.

Now, have you read published works that have scenes like this? Absolutely. I don't know how many times I've read a book and skipped over pages of boring back story or scenes that just don't move the story forward.

So make every scene count. Make them do double duty, triple duty. What do we want to say in the scene? The point we want to get across?

How can we make it as riveting as the rest of our scenes?

Make sure we show the characters pursuing a goal, changing, strengthening the characterizations, showing something that prevents characters from reaching the goal (conflict), show new twists, reveal new information. Make the reader care about our characters.

What else can you do to make boring, nothing scenes spring to life?

We owe it to our readers to hook them so much, they can't put the book down. Out with the boring scenes, in with the riveting. :)

Terry Spear Heart of the Wolf coming April 1st from Sourcebooks!
http://www.terryspear.com/

Winning the Highlander's Heart available now on Amazon.com!