On a gorgeous Pacific Northwest day, I came out of my writing cave, and met up with Lily Santana and Jessa Slade.
Our meeting place: The mother ship, that beacon of brick and mortar that draws writers and readers into it, sucking hours of life away in continuous bliss – Powell’s Books. At least, that’s where we were the first three hours.
Over coffee, lunch, and drinking chocolates, we shared our writing process, what makes us excited about writing, and the importance of chocolate.
And so I give you our nuggets of wisdom:
– Chocolate, we all agreed, stimulates creativity, so for writers, this is a must. (That one was easy!) Which was why Jessa and Lily later decided we deserved lots of it for each chapter we completed. Lily suggested 160 ozs. per book (8 ozs. per chapter x 20 chapters). Personally, I go through waaay more than that! (Life’s short. Books take a long time to produce. Why have limits?)
– Writing is hard. You know that saying we writers have heard over and over? About how splitting a vein open is easier than writing? Personally, I think that’s true. Yet we pound away at the computer, we agonize over sentence structure, we give up sleep, and we help our process along with a lot of chocolate (see the first nugget above). And in spite of the relatively low return (unless you happen to like rejection), we do it over and over again.
Jessa said, “If you can be happy doing something else, do that. . .. Then again, happy is overrated.”
Lily said, “What I like and don’t like about writing is the the same thing: it requires a level of focus I don’t find anywhere else.”
– Why do we write? Lily admitted, “I love the feeling of falling in love.”
Jessa was blatantly honest. (Would you expect anything else?) “I like hot guys.”
I write because I can’t seem to quit. It’s an addiction, this driving need to commit words to paper in some form that makes a reader smile. Besides, in this crazy world, where life sometimes spirals out of control, I’m a sucker for a happily-ever-after.
– In choosing story structure, Lily builds around a scene that comes to her. She has to know the hero first (like I do!), what makes him tick, and why. The heroine comes next because, as she stated with a grin, “I’m always the heroine.”
For Jessa, she starts with an idea. “But that’s a bad thing. Why? Starting with an idea can lead to preaching, whereas starting with a character or situation has story implicit in it and gives you a stronger start.”
– Bestseller lists. What author doesn’t dream of hitting the bestseller lists? When she does, Lily said, “I’m buying a waterfront home for my family to enjoy.”
After careful thought, Jessa piped in with “a lake front home, a mountain home, a beach home. All with housekeepers!”
Me? I’ll take a custom-made pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. Oh, and what Jessa said. But I’d like a cook and a gardener, too! 😉
After wandering through Powell’s Books, eating lunch al fresco, and consuming the perfect drinking chocolate at Cacao Drink Chocolate, I felt refreshed, reconnected, and strangely validated as a writer. Then again, books, food, chocolate, and the company of fabulously supportive writer friends will do it every time!
-Melia
Fabuleous time spent with the girls! I am like you, I write because I can’t quit. I will be careful not to preach. Thanks for that insight Jessa. O,
happy day to ALL 🙂
Hey there!
Great to have you stop by. Yes, it was a fab time with Lily and Jessa — I’m still lusting after that drinking chocolate we had! Total yum!!
Happy writing,
Melia
Aren’t we cute? I think it’s because of all the chocolate we ate! Thanks again for the wonderful day 🙂
We were definitely in chocolate heaven! LOL. It was a lot of fun, Jessa! Your wisdom never ceases to amaze me. 🙂
Hugs and happy writing,
Melia
I’m late to the party but want to
chime in – it was awesome to chat up book strategy with two fabulous gals!
Love your post Melia and don’t we look giddily cacao’d in the picture? Nice!
Hey, the party’s still in full swing, Lily! And, yes, chocolate works wonders, doesn’t it? We MUST do this again!!
Hugs and happy writing,
Melia
Ah…books, food, and chocolate mixed with good friends! What a perfect substitute for the national conference! I spent the week reorganizing my office. Now only research, reference, and writing manuals are shelved in the bookcases, so I’ll be able to easily access books/files when I need them. It should speed up my writing.
Good for you, Vonnie! I plan to get my office re-organized once I finish this draft. I’m soooo looking forward to finding things quickly! Until I’m in the middle of my next project. . .. 🙂 Seems to be a cycle for me. LOL!
Hugs and happy writing,
Melia