Click! - No, not the sound a frogger makes. It’s the switch that goes off in your head when an idea or thought smacks. You know what I mean -- the divine moments that represent the best creative place. I know I’ve been hit at the oddest times.
My process is to write down the bare bones of my story then layer and layer and layer, submit for critique, and layer and layer. During the layering process, a word or phrase will -- click! -- pop in my head. Most of the time, the word or phrase is perfect, better than what I’d originally written. When this happens, pure creativity is working in me.
One day, I was walking through my closet and glanced at my husband’s colorful array of ties. Click!–- an idea blossomed. I grabbed a sticky note and scribbled down a couple of things. Later on, I went to my desk to write a short story, “Christmas Ties.”
Another time, I walked through my closet and got the idea to write my third book, “Bad Dates.” (Note to self: maybe move desk to closet. lol)
As I sipped drinks with DARA friends at RWA National, we began describing first dates. Click! Our innocent war stories stimulated my friend with ideas for several books. She pulled out her iPhone and began working so not to lose the thoughts whirling in her head. Cool.
I’ve heard if you think long and hard about some spot in your writing and then sleep on it, you will wake up with a pure thought. Click! How about that? Your creativity is at work while you’re sleeping.
Do you pay attention to your clicks? Do you scurry around with pieces of paper, ticket stubs, grocery receipts with prize bits written on them? Do you send yourself texts with your ideas?
Pay close attention to the little voice in your head, the little thought that passes through, the “ah ha” moments. These clicks! could be what makes the difference in your writing. But it won’t make a difference unless it is on the page.
How do you save those Ah Ha moments?
Blurb:
New Job. New Love. And Murder.
Hattie Cook's dream job is down the toilet and her new SUV violated. Desperate for cash to cover the basic necessities of rent and food, she takes a temporary job at Buy Rite Insurance Company where she uncovers an embezzling scam tied to the death of a former employee--the very one she replaced.
Detective Allan Charles Wellborn has secretly adored Hattie all his life. When the police determine there's more to the death of a former Buy Rite employee, he steps in to lead the investigation. Overly dedicated, always perfect, he puts his job first, even if doing so ultimately hurts the one he loves.
Can the killer be found before Hattie's time is up?
Excerpt:
“Yuck.”
Pretty much covered the whole freakin’ day.
A blinding red-white, red-white strobe, reflected in my brand new Wrangler’s rearview mirror, seized my attention. The police. I tossed my hands skyward, ready to surrender. I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Like I'd commented this a.m. to my roommate, Jenny, “Today, anything’s possible.”
My Bad Day checklist included:
- Crappy job interview, one which might have provided desperately needed income.
- Wore gut-busting panty hose on a hot day which had now worked past my waist and strangled my diaphragm.
- A barely blowing air conditioner indicated something had malfunctioned in my new, fun car.
I stole another glance in the mirror, and with great reluctance, flipped the right turn indicator. My vehicle coasted to a stop on the shoulder of Boston Avenue in my hometown of Sommerville, a nice suburb located between two large cities. Four lanes of cars and trucks zipped by as I sat there where every single one of my family, friends, friends’ friends, and their friends—including Rat Fink Suzanne—would see a police vehicle positioned right behind mine. Gleefully, drivers would chant the “Ha-ha, got you, not me” ditty.
How embarrassing.
After killing the engine, I flopped back in the seat. Shooting the morons the finger was an idea. Nah. I'm too exhausted to care.
A litany of: "No, not hiring." "Just filled the position." "You're over qualified." "You're under qualified…" tornadoed through my head. Coupled with the intense job search through various outlets like the internet and completing numerous online employment applications, no wonder my body had been depleted of all life force.
Not even a breeze blew to take the edge off the unbearable summertime heat. Tangled wild trees and dry scrubby bushes banked the roadside. The grass had taken on a scorched look. Rolling down the driver’s window, I surveyed my surroundings. Nothing great. Nothing new.
I stole a glance in the side mirror at the policeman who strode purposefully along the shoulder. The gravel crunched under his boots. He looked huge, probably because his uniform, which appeared to be bulked with a bullet-proof vest, made him resemble a buffed-up superhero in size. Exceedingly intimidating.
Sigh. When things went wrong, they were really wrong.
Author bio:
Like some of her characters, award-winning author, Vicki Batman has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm--the list is endless, giving her plenty of crazy material for her writing.
Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010. Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking "What if??"
Find Vicki at:
Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1ipdLkv
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4814608.Vicki_Batman
Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=116288777&trk=hb_tab_pro_top
Google+: bit.ly/1zUggDF
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vickibatman
Plotting Princesses: http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1515093723
Email: vlmbatman@hotmail.com
Buy links for Temporarily Employed
Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Employed-Vicki-Batman-ebook/dp/B00N4J5FDQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410893535&sr=1-1&keywords=temporarily+employed
Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Employed-Vicki-Batman/dp/1628304979/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412359358&sr=1-2&keywords=temporarily+employed
The Wild Rose Press ebook: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5829
The Wild Rose Press paperback: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5896
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