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Kathleen chats about a little of
everything
Future Sailing Stories:
- Living Aboard a Sailing Yacht
- A Trip Through the Jungle to Venezuela's Angel Falls
- Scuba Diving in the Virgin Islands
Read How I Got Started
writing romance.
Read An Interview
Messages to writers: Have you ever seen a rainbow?
Do you have goals? How do you define courage?
Would you like to learn how to write?
Have you ever seen a rainbow?
In March I'm reminded of the Irish fable that a pot of gold waits for us at
the end of the rainbow. Partially because of the promise of that gold, rainbows
are symbols of happiness and hope and a metaphor for chasing elusive dreams.
That reputation is well deserved. When all of a sudden on a rainy day, sunlight
penetrates the raindrops and a magnificent arc of color appears in the sky, we
smile and our spirits are lifted. We feel better about the world and once again
believe we can achieve those dreams.
As writers, we often could use a rainbow to buoy our spirits and give us hope.
When our characters refuse to come alive, plots seem to be headed nowhere, the
mail brings rejections, and words just won’t flow, a rainbow would be a welcome
treat for our starved soul.
I wish had the ability to create a hope-filled rainbow and share it with you
when you need it. But instead, I’ll recommend two alternate sources for hope
that you can pull out anytime, whether it’s raining or sleeting or the middle of
a moonless night. They can be valuable companions on your quest for your dreams.
The first is The Writer’s Book of Hope by Ralph Keyes. This book has chapters on
how to deal with frustration and despair, how to co-exist with the people who
discourage you, and how to understand rejections and keep them in perspective.
The author sums up his message saying: “The hardest part of being a writer is
not getting the commas in the right place but getting your head in the right
place.”
That message of mental preparedness is repeated in The Aladdin Factor by Jack
Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. These Chicken Soup for the Soul authors point
out that occasionally we get off track and confused. They help us step back and
clarify our dreams, then suggest ways to build the courage to go after the
things we desire. Most importantly, they teach us how to keep asking for what we
want until the rejections stop.
When you have low moments, try one of these books for motivation.
If disappointment or despair threaten to shake your belief in yourself or steal
your hope, keep your eye on the rainbow’s end and persistently follow your
dreams. Sooner or later, you’ll find your pot of gold.
May you have the luck of the Irish in your quest. And may all your rainy days
produce rainbows.
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Do you have goals?
Spring is here.
Longer days, singing birds, daffodils dancing in the breeze, and the promise of
chocolate candies at Easter seems to have had an effect like changing the
batteries in the Energizer Bunny. Suddenly we’re shaking off the winter
doldrums, coming out of hibernation, and shedding our winter coats. We’re
puttering in the yard or busy cleaning our nests.
I’ve always felt that spring was the best time to make New Year’s resolutions.
In January, we’re exhausted from the holidays. The trees are forlorn and, too
often, so is our mood. But in springtime, we have a bounce in our steps and the
positive attitude to make things happen. We’re looking forward to the future and
anticipating brighter days ahead.
Did you make resolutions back in the gray days of January and then gradually let
them slip through your fingers? For those of you who did, go back and pull out
your list of resolutions and goals. This is the time to attack them with renewed
vigor. Can you channel some of your springtime exuberance into your writing
career?
In fiction and poetry, springtime is usually symbolic of blossoming lives,
rebirth, and renewed hope. When a story begins in the spring, characters are
moving to a new town or a different job, starting on the road to change or
maturation, or maybe launching into a fateful adventure. We sense the plot will
be upbeat. We expect a satisfying ending and immerse ourselves in the book
knowing the characters lives are destined to be filled with happiness.
Think of this spring as a time for you and your career to blossom, a time for
rebirth or renewal. Recommit to your New Year’s resolutions. Launch into a new
manuscript, polish your work-in-progress, find a way to make your skills grow
and mature and move you toward greater success and satisfaction. Rejuvenate your
senses, by soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells that are uniquely spring.
Then transfer your sensual impressions into scenes that make the tone of your
story vivid, bubbly, and bright.
Enjoy your spring. Breathe the fresh air. Bask in the warm sunshine, and catch
the fever. But most important of all, even though you’re as busy as a nesting
bluebird, let new ideas flow and reserve some of your time and energy to write.
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How do you define courage?
In December 1606, three ships left Blackwall, England carrying one hundred
and seven passengers, all men, on a voyage to establish the first permanent
English colony in the New World. Those men endured five months of hardship at
sea. They had no sanitation and only meager supplies of food. They slept in
corridors because all other spaces were crammed with supplies they would need to
survive at their destination. In May 1607, they stepped ashore to start building
Jamestown, and their living conditions worsened.
We’ve all heard of Captain John Smith, but history tells us little
about the other settlers. Maybe they made the voyage hoping for wealth, maybe to
escape unsatisfactory lives. Certainly some had a hunger for adventure. Although
we can only guess their motives, we do know one thing about them. Their actions
showed us they were all men defined by courage.
Writers are also defined by courage. We don’t face physical hardship, but
every one of us who sends out a contest entry, a query, or a partial or complete
manuscript, faces emotional and psychological danger. The desire to be loved and
win the approval and admiration of others is a universal emotion. As writers, we
want the attention and approval of our readers. Yet, again and again, we risk
rejection by pouring out our deepest thoughts and emotions onto a page and
letting others pass judgment on what we’ve written. We hope for approval. Too
frequently, it alludes us. Sometimes we get harsh criticism, sometimes even
cruel words of discouragement and scorn.
When writers enter a contest, they are paying for criticism and hoping for
approval. A contest entry I’m currently judging is the work of a writer
who has yet to learn ‘show don’t tell’. I doubt it will final in the contest.
But, by the simple fact that this writer has risked rejection and criticism, he
or she has shown courage.
Tom Clancy once said, “Success is a finished book, a stack of pages each of
which is filled with words. If you reach that point, you have won a victory over
yourself no less impressive than sailing single-handed around the world.”
Allow me to add that success is also an envelope dropped into a mailbox or an
email file sent off into cyberspace. If you dare to let the world see into your
soul, you have shown your courage as clearly as the men who boarded those ships
and crossed an ocean four hundred years ago. I compliment each and every one of
you on your courage.
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Would you like to learn how to write?
Most public schools close for the summer, but writers rarely take a
vacation from learning. Most of us, whether beginners or seasoned authors, are
constantly striving to improve our craft.
There’s no minimum educational requirement to be a writer and no degree that
guarantees success. A lucky few sit in front of a keyboard, transfer the words
in their mind onto paper, and their work finds immediate publication. Most of us
need to do more. We enter contests and seek critiques from other writers, hoping
they will help us identify the areas of our work that need improvement. Once
we’ve narrowed down our problem areas, we seek information and advice on those
subjects. From grammar and sentence structure, to creating more rounded
characters or developing believable plots, we’re continually trying to do
better.
Few of us can enroll a Master of Fine Arts degree program; most attend the
School of Hard Knocks and design our own curriculum.
Learning to write well can be a long process. But writers aren’t unique in
that regard. Lawyers, engineers, CPAs, and people in the medical and teaching
professions must dedicate themselves to years of training. They know there’s no
shortcut to expertise and that, when they’ve mastered their professional skills,
their effort will be rewarded. Sooner or later, your time studying your craft
will be rewarded too.
Summer may tempt you to play hooky from learning. But we learn to write by
writing. As writers, our school is always in
session.
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How did I get started
writing romance? I began my writing career with non-fiction articles. But my husband and I
were sailing to lush, exotic islands under starry skies, walking on the most
beautiful, white-sand beaches in the world, watching fiery sunsets, smelling
nutmeg drying in the sunshine, breathing tangy salt air, eating juicy pineapples
fresh from the fields, and feeling the wind blowing through our hair. How could
my thoughts not turn to romance?
One day, while we were anchored in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas in the U.S.
Virgin Islands, the boat rocking gently in the trade winds, I started writing
about a charter yacht crewed by a salty captain and a land-lubber chef. That novel, A Trade Wind Season,
was released by Avalon Books two years later.
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My
Interview :
Question: When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing non-fiction about twelve years ago while living aboard a
sailboat and cruising the islands of the Bahamas and the Caribbean. It seemed
like a good way to earn traveling money, plus I could choose when and where to
work. For several years, I wrote articles sharing my experiences and offering
advice to fellow sailors, and many were published in national and regional
sailing and travel magazines. And in 2001, I was thrilled to have one of my
articles selected to be included in the book The Best of SAIL: Commonsense
Cruising published by Sheridan House.
Question: What inspired you to write your first book?
I got the idea for my first novel one winter during an extended stay in the
Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas is one of my all-time favorite
places. It is also home to a thriving charter fleet. From there luxurious yachts
whisk tourists between the U. S. and British islands and visit some of the most
beautiful dive sites and beaches of the world. I started imagining a landlubber
chef taking a job aboard one of those yachts and fighting her attraction to the
salty captain who loved only the sea and his boat, and I had to write their
story. That book, A Trade Wind Season, was written aboard my boat and published
by Avalon Books. Writing that first story got me hooked on fiction, and in
particular, romance.
Question: What is your daily writing routine?
I write mornings between 9:30 and 12:30 most days of the week. Weekends are
often devoted to writings other than my work-in-progress, for example, jotting
down ideas for future stories, updating my website, or putting together
proposals to send to editors and agents.
I'm very strict with myself and produce something every day. I do extensive
editing and multiple drafts, so my progress on a book is usually slow.
Question: Who and what has influenced your writing?
Belonging to Romance Writers of America has had a tremendous influence. I
discovered the organization while living in Florida and joined my local chapter,
Tampa Area Romance Authors. Later, I also joined Central Florida Romance
Writers. The wonderful workshops and speakers presented by both groups helped me
learn the craft of fiction writing and demystified the publishing industry. The
camaraderie of the members kept my spirits up in the aftermath of Hurricanes
Francis and Jean when a tornado ripped the roof off my house and my life was thrown
into chaos.
Now that I've relocated, I belong to Virginia Romance Writers. And I'm still learning something new
at every monthly meeting.
Question: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you
about his/her work?
That's a hard question to answer, because I have several favorites.
I've read every book in Nevada Barr's mystery series featurng park ranger Anna
Pigeon. Ms. Barr's world building is fantastic, and her character's emotions are
intense and real. The mysteries are complex, and I can never guess who-dun-it
before the very end.
But I also love anything by Tess Gerrisen, the master of the thriller. She
scares me, tricks me, keeps me turning pages until the last one.
Then there's science fiction and the fabulous Catherine Asaro. She can transport
her readers into the future or to other solar systems better than any writer I
know.
Romance? I always fall in love with the characters in books by Stephanie Bond
and Roxanne St. Claire.
Do you see what I mean? I could go on and on.
Question: Any advice for other writers?
If you want to write, sit down and do it! Life is too short, and getting
published can be a long process.
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Kathleen Mix