When Do You Become A Writer?

I knew I was supposed to be a writer; I had made that declaration in the closet of my soul.

~Padgett Powell

When do you become a writer?

When you first write?

When your writing is first praised?

When your writing is first published?

No self-definition can come from outside. You don't "become a writer" because others say that you have written well.

You become a writer when you tell yourself this is what you are.

If you have fundamental self-honesty, you will then write. You will carry out the activity you have linked with your deepest identity.

Your membership card as a writer is issued in the closet of your soul.

Today, I'll see what I think in the closet of my soul. I will make my declaration there.

Page 121, Walking on Alligators - A Book of Meditations for Writers

by Susan Shaughnessy

Josh Holloway, Hunk

Like a lot of romance novelists, some kind of visual inspiration really helps me along when it comes to creating my characters. Because of this, I spend a lot of time online searching for graphics, photos, videos, movies and music. I have dozens of photos on file and I'm always looking for more.

I had a really hard time finding a visual that was "just right" for my hero, Travis Santiago aka the notorious Santana in my historical western novel, Dangerous Desires. I'd been looking for months and months for someone to fit his profile.

Every now and then, I'd run across a photo of a model or an actor that I thought might work, but always there was something that just didn't click. So, you can imagine my joy when I ran across a YouTube video of the 38 year-old, 6' 1" hunk Josh Holloway, who's best known as the sexy, southern, bad-boy James "Sawyer"Ford in the ABC hit series LOST. I'm not a Lost fan, so I'd never heard of Josh Holloway. But when I saw him in the YouTube trailer, a light bulb went off. I'd finally found the visual inspiration I'd been looking for for all these months! He was a hunk, no doubt about it, but I didn't know anything about him. So, I decided to see what I could find.

I learned that Josh is quite popular. In 2006 he was voted the "HOTTEST HUNK ON TELEVISION" by In Touch Weekly magazine. In 2005 he was named one of People Magazine's 50 MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE where he was listed along with superstars Brad Pitt, Angelina Jole, Orlando Bloom and Julia Robert. That's quite an accomplishment!

The former model was born in California but grew up in Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia, but after a year he left to pursue his modeling career. Eventually he ended up in Los Angeles where he landed a part in the comedy Doctor Benny. From there, he slowly began getting parts in well known TV series, such as CSI, Angel and Walker Texas Ranger.

He's been featured in magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, InStyle and Vanity Fair. He played a purse snatcher, along with Alicia Silverstone, in the 1994 Aerosmith video Cryin. This year, in addition to LOST, he will play Max Truemont in the upcoming supernatural thriller, Whisper , which is due to be released this November. AND he's the spokesperson for the mens fragrance COOL WATER by Davidoff. He's definitely got his plate full.

Impressive, huh? I'd say so. I'd say it's damn impressive.

For those of you who, like me, have never heard of Josh Holloway, I've listed a few links to some of his sites throughout this post. Also, for your viewing pleasure *grin*, below is the trailer I found on YouTube. It celebrates Josh Holloway's birthday and was put together by titacosta. I think he/she did a great job. I'm sure you'll think so, too.

Enjoy!

So, what inspires you when creating characters?

Lonesome Dove and Larry McMurtry

There's good news for all of us Lonesome Dove fans. It looks like we'll be seeing a lot of Larry McMurtry stuff in the months to come.

I've just learned that Comanche Moon, a movie that takes place after the 1996 movie Dead Mans Walk , starring David Arquette and Tommy Lee Miller, and before the original Lonesome Dove starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, is in production and due to be released in November of this year as a TV mini series.

Comanche Moon stars Karl Urban as Woodrow F. Call and Steve Zahn as Gus McCrae. Val Kilmer, Wes Studi and Elizabeth Banks are among some of the others who also star in the movie. I'm sure it will be a hit.

Boone's Lick, another Larry McMurtry book, is also in pre-production. Boone's Lick stars Tom Hanks and Julianne Moore and is due to be released sometime in 2008. I'm must confess, I've never read this one and don't know much about it. Below is the plot summary from the IMDb website:

Told with McMurtry's unique blend of historical fact and sheer storytelling genius, the novel follows the Cecil family's arduous journey by riverboat and wagon from Boone's Lick, Missouri, to Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming. Fifteen-year-old Shay narrates, describing the journey that begins when his Ma, Mary Margaret, decides to hunt down her elusive husband, Dick, to tell him she's leaving him. Without knowing precisely where he is, they set out across the plains in search of him, encountering grizzly bears, stormy weather, and hostile Indians as they go. With them are Shay's siblings, G.T., Neva, and baby Marcy; Shay's uncle, Seth; his Grandpa Crackenthorpe; and Mary Margaret's beautiful half-sister, Rose. During their journey they pick up a barefooted priest named Father Villy, and a Snake Indian named Charlie Seven Days, and persuade them to join in their travels. Written by Giorgio_C Boone's Lick revolves around a headstrong woman who drags her family on a rickety wagon from Boone's Lick, Mo., to the Wyoming fort where her husband lives. Moore plays the woman and Hanks plays her husband's brother, who escorts the woman, her four children and her father on the trek and falls in love with her during the perilous journey Written by Cat Stevens

If that isn't enough Larry McMurtry westerns for you, there's a book due to be released this October entitled A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove by Bill Wittliff. Below is a blurb from The University of Texas Press website:

"Lonesome Dove is a great book that had the rare fortune of being made into a great movie. And now, through Bill Wittliff's photographs, we have a third generation of Lonesome Dove artistry. The same creative power and conviction that allowed Larry McMurtry to transform a workaday scenario for an unproduced screenplay into one of the greatest novels of our time, and that transformed that novel into the greatest western movie ever made, are on display in this collection. A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove is a masterpiece begot by a masterpiece begot by a masterpiece." —Stephen Harrigan

Larry McMurtry's books and movies are my favorites. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see these movies or to get my hands on this picture book!

For those of you who are on MySpace and would like to add LD to your list of Myspace friends, here's a link to THE LONESOME DOVE Myspace site.

This isn't an official site, and the site itself isn't anything fancy, however, it might come in handy to have on your friends list. That's how I learned about the LD picture book.

Happy trails!

Meteor Shower Last Night!

Look up! Meteor shower tonight supposed to start around 11pm PST! The above message was posted in a Myspace bulletin. I thought, I want to see this. I'm always awake at this time, I won't miss it. What did I do? I missed it. Darnnit! I could just kick myself. The only good thing about missing it, is, the reason I missed it. I was busy getting my outline in order for the FAST DRAFT challlenge starting today. So, I guess it was a good reason to miss it, if there is a good reason to miss it at all. So, did any of you happen to catch the meteor shower?

Do It Anyway...

This was posted in my myspace bulletin by Romance Author, Tess Mallory. We chat a little and I subscribe to her myspace blog. She's really a sweet, Texas gal.

DO IT ANYWAY

Written

By

Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical,and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse youof selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway

What Inspires You?

I'm always up to learning and trying new things. Especially when it comes to writing. I've tried lots of things to help along the way. Music, movies, books, etc., as I'm sure all of you have done as well. Sometimes they work to inspire me, and sometimes they don't. I'll listen to music that pumps me up. Depending on my mood, this usually works. I just can't listen to any music that was popular during the worst years of my life, though, because I just get too sad. Hm mm...I guess I should listen to that music when I'm writing a scene that is supposed to be sad. OK, scratch that thought. I'll read my favorite all time romances, which usually always inspire me to write. Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. Or a Kathleen Woodiweiss novel. Or Judith McNaughts Kingdom of Dreams. These are the first romances I read, back in the 70's. I 've read them a hundred times in the past, and I'll probably read them a hundred more times in the future. I'll watch my favorite movies. Braveheart with Mel Gibson, Lonesome Dove with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall. Or The Outlaw Josey Wales or Two Mules or Sister Sarah with Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine. The last one is always a good movie for me to watch because it takes place during the 1860's Juarez led rebellion against the French invasion and French imperial rule in Mexico. Since I'm writing a western romance set during this exact time period, this movie never fails to inspire me. Recently, a new inspirational tool has come to my attention. Brain Wave Therapy. They're self help programs by Kelly Howell that are supposed to help you quit smoking, lose weight or sharpen your focus and creativity. You buy a CD and listen to it with a portable CD player and earphones. Below is a paragraph from their catalog:

"In these pages you'll find many ways to achieve your goals and make the breakthrough you want. With our clinically-proven audio technology you can reach states of inner balance that will contribute to an ever increasing sense of well-being in your life, helping you to expand, heal and grow. Thousands of individuals have taken the time to share their remarkable success stories. And as you'll see inside, many brain researchers and medical professionals add their praise."

I've heard that this really does work, so I gave it a shot. There are many different programs to choose from and they all sound good. Some are subliminal and some aren't. I had a hard time deciding which one to buy first.

The first program I bought is called HIGH FOCUS. I listen to it first thing in the morning, while on the treadmill or when I first get online and I'm reading my emails. It does seem to pump you up, and I have found that I am writing more. They say that athletes listen to this program before the big game. I can see why. For me, it pumps me up too much and I tend to feel a little nervous. Like drinking too much coffee. I can't drink more that two or three cups in the morning or I feel this way. That aside, I have noticed an increase with my writing and other creative things I do. I do like this program and will probably continue to use it in the future.

The second program I bought is entitled INCREASE CREATIVITY. Now this CD is more to my liking. It's more relaxing and I feel much more calm after listening to it. You're supposed to listen to it laying down, or in a recliner or somewhere where you can relax and not have to worry if you get drowsy. They say not to listen to this CD if you are going to be doing something physical or driving. And, as with the other program, I can see why. When I listen to it, I do get relaxed. And, again, as with the other one, I have noticed an increase with my creativity. I've been writing more. I even started this blog. :) I don't know if this really works or if it's just mind over matter. However, I like it and it works for me so I'll continue to use it until it doesn't. The next program I intend to buy is the smoking and weight loss subliminal CD.

Hey, if it works...

You can take a look for yourself here, at the brain Sync website. If you decide to go this route let me know how it works for you.