99 & Counting... Party on, Excellent!

Believe it or not, this is my 99th post which means the next one will be my 100th! (I aced second grade math.)

In order to properly honor this auspicious occasion, I'll be giving stuff away. Not just any old stuff, but cool stuff. Stuff like Borders Gift Cards and books and a SECRET GRAND PRIZE (SGP) THAT IS SO COOL YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STAND IT!!!!

"How do I win all this cool stuff?" you ask. Well, that's easy! Everyone who comments on THIS post will be eligible for a $10 Borders Gift Card and everyone who comments on my Centennial Post (which will magically appear on Friday) will be eligible for a $20 Borders Gift Card.

All commentators from this post AND/OR the next will be eligible to win the SGP!
(To be revealed on Friday and, yup, one person could feasibly win both gift cards AND the SGP!)

I'm hoping these enticing incentives will coax some of you lurky-loos out of Lurksville, Lurkytown, or Lurkland, or wherever the hell it is you live in order to say "Hello!" or "Wassup?" or "Your Mother Wears Army Boots!" or whatever the hell it is you lurky-types like to say.

Also, all NEW FOLLOWERS who come on board the Write on Target Party Train between now and this coming Sunday will be eligible for an additional $10 Borders Gift Card (and if you comment, the SGP!).

So, I hope you'll join the party and help me celebrate nearly eight months of fun and frolic. (I don't know about you, but I just LOVE to frolic!)

ALL WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY 9PM-ISH EST ON SUNDAY, 5/17.

Party on Wayne, party on Garth!!!

Right Path

At the ripe old age of 34 I wrote a song called, "Sweet Life." It was an ode to my kids and my parents, and it was a look at time passing by:

"Sometimes I feel I'm getting old, that life was all 'back then,' Still I know I'm younger now then I ever will be again..."

This was a reminder to myself that as old as I sometimes feel, I am, in fact, younger then I ever will be in the future. This is a powerful and positive way to view aging. Unfortunatley, as the days on the calendar fall away, we grown-ups generally tend to feel less powerful and less positive about our time remaining. We lean more towards the philosphy in the lyrics of another well-known songwriter (though, admittedly not as famous as me), Roger Waters:

"And the sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older, Shorter of breath and one day closer to death..." (Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon" as if you didn't know!)

The ever-hammering tick, tick, tick, of time sometimes manifests inner doubts and questions. Do I have enough time? Will I accomplish my goals? Will I have enough money to retire? Will my dreams finally come true? Will I be able to afford to send my kids to college? Will I ever get my baby-blue, 2-door, convertible Mercedes? And, if you're a writer like me, "Will I find the perfect agent and get my book published before I'm 100?"

Time passing is both fascinating and mysterious. How we relate to time and to our lives in general changes as we age. When I was a kid, I thought forever was a long, beautiful, never-ending, lazy road. There was no anxiety over not having enough time; no limit to the dreams I could and would imagine. As an adult, I realize forever was my innocent child's interpretation of life, and that I'd better be in action if I want to see my dreams blossom fully and vibrantly.

What is it you still want to accomplish in life? Having a happy, healthy family? Being kind to all living things? Snuggling with your pets? (One of my favorite and most oft-reached goals!) Marrying (or staying married to) your best friend? Becoming a great cook? Learning a different language? Traveling to exotic places? Creating something timeless that is yours and yours alone? All of the above?

Chuck and I wrote a song called, "Beautiful Illusion." It's about being one with yourself; being truly at peace.

"The beautiful illusion is near, I hear the voices whisper in my ear, "You're on the right path, it's clear..."

Look at your life and tell yourself honestly - are you on the right path? Is it clear? Is it somewhat hazy? What action can you take to further your dreams or goals?

Take that action. Now.

Happy Birthday, Adam!

OK, look at us and tell me how is it possible that we have a 20-year-old son? I mean, if we're only 30-ish (give or take a decade), how can we have a son who's 20? It's not physically possible. And, yet, there it is.

Here's a pic of Chuck and I at a lovely little bistro last month in New Jersey. Now, honestly, if you didn't know how old this hot, young couple was, what would you guess? 30? 32? OK, 35 tops? (You know, I have super-powers and can hear you laughing all the way out here in the suburbs of Philly. So, you might want to knock it off.)

Twenty years ago at this very moment, I'd just received a gift from heaven - an epidural. Unfortunately, I still had four hours to go before the biggest blessing/pain in my ass would officially arrive on the planet. Adam Mitchell Schubert came barrelling into the world at 2:22PM MST on Monday, May 8th, 1989. All kidding aside, it was one of the two best days of my life (the other day was two years and eight months later when Ethan was born.)

I remember lying in the hospital bed and cradling my newborn in my arms. We stared at each other and had a truly out-of-body experience. It was a connection I'll never forget. As crazy as it seems, I believe we "bonded" at that very magical moment. And right after that, I had this thought: "Oh my God - someday this sweet, little baby will be a TEENAGER!!!! Help, doctor, put it back!!"

And, it's true. That sweet, little baby did become a teenager. Somehow, we both managed to make it through those (frightening) years, and now Adam is heading directly for adulthood. And that, my friends, is nothing short of crazy. Like Jerry said, what a long, strange (fun, amazing, incredible, frustrating, fascinating, mind blowing) trip it's been.

Here's what our tiny baby looks like now. He used to be a geek who wore only sweat pants and t-shirts. Now he's in college and is a super-cool drummer in a punk rock band called Combat Crisis. And, damn, he's kinda cute! At least we know where he gets his good looks (see pic of Chuckie-poo above) and talent from (see pic of moi above).

So, please join me in welcoming my little, baby Adam (or, Amo, as he called himself until he was two. "What's your name?" random stranger would ask. "Amo!" he'd reply. And I thought I'd taught him never to talk to strangers...) into his third decade of life.

Happy 20th, Adam, and many, many more!

All my love, Mom.;-)

Love is a Many Fickled Thing

When my new love entered my life only six, short months ago, I had no idea how quickly we'd bond, how fast we'd fall in love, and how beautiful our relationship would be. But, love can be a fickle thing.

Two nights ago a third wheel entered the picture and has blown my new love affair to pieces. Why? Because the love of my life has fallen for another. And, if that's not bad enough, I found out they're already married and are planning a big family. Babies? So soon? How do they even know the relationship will last?

Here's a picture of the new couple. Don't they look despicably happy together? (At least they've got good taste in which blogs they follow.) And here's what their babies will undoubtedly look like:











As if that's not bad enough, they wasted no time participating in a menage a trois, despite the fact that I suggested this on numerous occasions and was turned down every single time! (Yeah, that's Tiger Lilly, the little hussy. She sure looks ready for a cigarette!)

To clear my mind from this vicious triangle, I got a shot of Zoro taking command of the new HD TV box we got. Thank goodness he was here to wrestle that little bastard to the ground!

So, what do you think about love? Is it evil? Is it kind? Does it leave you wanting more? Less? Is there a place for such fickleness in your life? I'm feeling a bit disillusioned, but then, I'm a writer, so I'm used to rejection.

As Lily Tomlin so eloquently put it, "If love is the answer, could you please rephrase the question?"

(For those of you wondering why I now have two laptops, it's because Chuck got jealous of my torrid love affair with my HP until he came to his senses and realized he needed some of that hot action for himself. It truly was love at first sight between my sweet lover and his. We're convinced they'll get married, have lots of babies (or "mini's" as they call them), and live happily ever after. When (not if) those happy events occur, I'll be sure to let you know!)

One Darn Lovely Award!

I am, once again, totally verklempt at the amazingness of some of the bloggers out there in blogland. The ever-lovely Midlife Mama over at Midlife Musings has, for some out-of-body-type reason, deemed me worthy of the "One Lovely Blog Award." I know, what was she thinking? I've been called many things in my life, but never lovely. I do, however, hope my mom is reading this. (Hi, Mom!)

To you, MM, I thank you from the deepest depths of my soul. If I were pregnant, I'd name the baby after you, although naming a baby "Midlife Mama" might be considered wrong in some circles. (Who'd want to live in a place where you couldn't name your kids something funny, lame, or borderline cruel? Not me, that's for sure, and I think Gwyneth Paltrow and Frank Zappa would agree).

Of course, these undeniably fantabulous awards do not come without tremendous responsibilities, and I've always taken my responsibilities seriously. However, being an A-type personality (No! Really?), control freak, JAP, and one who doesn't just question authority, but wrestles it to the ground and strangles it slowly to death, I've "revised" the rules.

Here are "The (Evil) Rules" in their original format:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
That seems reasonable. Check!

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
WTF? 15? Who writes these "rules," anyway? Are you freakin' kidding me! Let's say we settle for ten. That's a much more manageable number, don't you think?

So, drum roll please! The 10 NEWLY DISCOVERED bloggers out there who IMHO have perfectly lovely blogs are:

• The simply sensational Jamie Mason at Because I Love to Hear Myself Type! If you don't fall instantly in love with her and her writing, you are a freak from the Planet Zeno.

• The ferociously funny Kiersten at Kiersten Writes! This girl can say, "Please pass the ketchup" and you'll be rolling on the floor laughing.

• The meticulously marvelous Michelle at The Innocent Flower! If you don't learn something from this wise, writing genius than you, my friend, are an idiot.

• The kutely kaptivating Kasie West! She's sweet, funny, and has an AMAZING new haircut.

• The sweetly splendid Sharla Scroggs at A Little Salty! Sharla's in the middle of a big kitchen renovation. What's not to love about that?

• The palpably precocious Paul Michael Murphy at Murphblog! Paul enjoys potty humor AND is really smart! Take a number, ladies!
  

• The jubilantly joyous Jenni James! Jenni is the happiest person alive. You think I'm kidding? Go check out her blog.

• The kreatively kompelling Kelly Polark! Kelly is a talented poet with beautiful hair who's afraid to ride a Harley.

• The ravishingly remarkable Rebecca at Provocation Of Mine (d)! Her annoying habit of "daily blogging" is making me look like a lazy slob. Oh, wait. I looked like a lazy slob long before I found Rebecca's blog...

• The immpressively introspective Indigo at Scream Quietly! She clawed her way out from the depths of hell, and is sharing her story with the world. May the Gods bless her.

In the interest of supporting minorities, I've once again included a token white, heterosexual male. Who knows, maybe they'll even be able to marry someday!

Please visit these well-deserving folks and tell them Debbie sentcha, you betcha! (She said winking and giving the "thumbs up!" sign.)

(Holy Toledo, Batman! My inner Sarah Palin comes out at the most inappropriate times. OMG! I've got an inner Sarah Palin!)

Life Rocks!

Another week has come and gone, and I thought, what a great opportunity to honor life's magnificence. It's not because anything particularly "wonderful" happened this week (unless you consider two new requests for partials wonderful, which, OK, I do); it's just because life - well it kind of rocks!

Each changing season, each new day, every "I love you" from your kid, partner, friend or family member, is cause for utter celebration. I don't know about you, but I tend to kinda sorta take these giganto miracles for granted. Not always - sometimes I'm actually present enough to "get" the wonder of life, but usually I'm so "in my head" about writing, or laundry, what I'm going to have for dinner, or if I'll get my daily fix of Starbuck's soy, chai-tea latte (no water) - you know, the important stuff - that I miss out on what is happening. Now.

Now, don't go getting all Bill O'Reilly on me. I know this stuff' IS important (especially my chai tea!), it's just that I tend to make it WAY more important than it needs to be.

So, to all my beautiful, blogging buds out there - I wish you a breathtakingly magical weekend. Notice the birds chirping, the flowers blooming, the smiles on your children's faces. Notice the purr of your kitties or the bark of your dog. Feel the rain on your face; the sun on your skin. Most of all, be present to the magnificence that is your life and to your greatest gift of all - the precious present.

(Funny side note - I lost a spelling bee in the 6th grade because of the word "precious." Well, not because of the word, per se, but because I didn't know how to spell it. I was pretty sure there was another "s" in there somewhere (prescious, perhaps?). I still have to look it up practically every time I write it (like now, for example.) It took me years to get past that. OK, I'm lying. I've never gotten over it. I'm permanently scarred. Talk about NOT being in the present!!!)

And, last, but certainly not least, after you leave me an adoring comment, do yourself a favor and hop on over to my dear friend Jenni's place. She's got a totally rad give-away going on; that is if you love antique books half as much as I do.;-)

Here's Jenni doing a Vanna White with a very old and special book. Doesn't she look purty?

(It's Time to) Come Out of the Closet!

We writers are an odd breed. We're possessed. We've got mild or wild weird writing habits some might refer to as neurotic (can you say, OCD?). Some of us worship at the alter of preferred pens, best-loved blankets, and particular pillows. Others prefer doors open (me) or closed (Stephen King), a brilliant view of nature vs. no outside light at all, or even facing a certain direction. I once heard of some sad sap in England who felt the need to run around the block three times, kneel down and kiss the ground, and then sing "Ave Maria" at the top of his lungs before he could finally settle in and put pen to paper. We crazy writers not only act as if, but firmly believe, the world will stop spinning if we stray from our "normal" writing routines.

One of my weird but wonderful writerly habits is the Daily 1,000. This sounds like something Jon Stewart made up, but, alas, it was 'lil 'ole me. What is the Daily 1,000 you ask? That's simple. It's writing at least 1,000 words per day on my WIP. I highly recommend it. Sometimes, I replace my Daily 1,000 with time served editing a "finished work" (talk about an oxymoron!), although I try to get in my Daily 1,000 anyway.

I keep a running total and goal word count for my current WIP on a "special" page in my "special" notebook. (That's not neurotic, is it?) Right now I'm about halfway through a cozy mystery (goal word count: 85K), and loving every word of it. If I stay on track,, i.e. keep up with my Daily 1,000, I should be done by mid-June. And, then I get to edit, edit again, edit a hundred more times, and then query. Of course, the Brooklyn DNA coursing through my veins doesn't allow for silly things like "patience," so I'll more than likely jump the gun on querying sooner than recommended by the FDA or CIA or other "professional" organizations claiming to know about such things.

Unless, that is, I've already got me an agent... (Several fab agents are currently reviewing my work - please keep fingers, toes and all other viable parts crossed.)

So, folks, it's time to make like Doogie Howser and come out of the closet! What are some of your Peculiar Practices? Resolute Routines? Devilish Drills? What are your mild or wild weird writing habits?

Don't Hate Me Because I've.... Got a Pool?

Remember that old commercial that said, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful?" Well, I'll preface this post with a similar sentiment - it even rhymes! "Don't hate me because I've got a pool."

True confessions: My whole life I wanted a swimming pool. It was my "big dream." Three years ago, that dream came true.

Flash forward to the week of 4.24.09:
Who knew the temps would soar into the 90's outside of Philly in April? The well-paid weather reporters on ABC, NBC and CBS, that's who. When they announced an upcoming four-day hot-spell like "July in April," my wonderful, perfect husband had an idea. To prove his wonderful perfectness, he said, "let's open the pool early!" And I replied, "woo-hoo!" Sometimes my literary eloquence rivals the likes of Dickens, Hemingway and Willie S. combined.

So, Chuckie worked his (cute, tight) ass off for several days. He took the cover off the pool (the same cover we bought when we put the pool in three years ago, and now had three baseball-sized holes in it allowing a little froggy family to find a watery home), vacuumed, balanced the chemicals, and did all the work a proper 'pool boy' does to get the pool swim-ready.

Not only did my pool boy get the pool ready, he serenaded me as well. I swear, this is true, although it sounds suspiciously like a recurring dream I've had since I was a young girl...

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the proof:
(Pool boy serenading me in the shade; me finishing "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner (yes, Amy, finally!); my son, Ethan soaking in some rays; ; and our backyard looking towards our upstairs deck. Enjoy this early burst of summer!

(If you'd like to book your early reservations at Chez Schubert B&B, send me an e-mail!)

Still Excited, But Sexy, Too!

Sorry, folks - there's still no word regarding my previous post. I'm not teasing, really, I just don't have any news to report yet. In the meantime...

Speaking of teasing, my crazy friend Vegas Linda Lou has nominated me for the prestigious SEXY BLOGGER AWARD! In her defense, I only met her once and it was in a dimly lit restaurant. So really, how could she know?

This is her reasoning for giving me this award:
I met Debbie Schubert last month up in Philly and man, she has the body I would have if I actually did Buns of Steel every friggin’ day like I promised a couple of weeks ago.

How she knew I work out to Buns of Steel at least five times a day, I'll never know.

In order to accept this illustrious award, I've got big-time responsibilities. I mean, they don't just dish these things out to anyone. I must list Five Sexy Things About Me! Talk about pressure! Then, I need to pass this baby along to several other sexy bloggers.

So, (in reverse order) drum roll please....

5) I sing. Some people find this very sexy. I've even had women hit on me when I sing. I don't know what it is about being a rock princess that makes people so crazy, but there it is.

4) I write songs. (See above.)

3) I write books. Actually, I don't know that this is all that sexy, but it's all I could think of.

2) I've got a great smile. Of course, my orthodontist should get the (idiot?) award for this one for agreeing to my insane choice of getting braces late in life.

1) I've got killer gams. I have my mom to thank for this particular trait. I have to be careful when I'm out in public in heels. My girlfriends and their significant others have been known to compliment me in, um, inappropriate ways. That's all I'll say on the subject.

And, now I hereby nominate the following sexy bloggers (in no particular order) for this most prestigious of awards:

1) Beth of Nutwood Junction. Her politics are right on, she loves birds, and she loves the band, "X". How sexy is that?

2) Pen Pen of Sugarspun Dreams fame. She's got a kitty named Jasmine, a gorgeous friend named Brit-Brit, and wishes she could stalk Katy Perry. Pretty damn sexy, if you ask me.

3) Vivi Alden, Cursing in Heels from Butt-Ass Cold Michigan. Vivi's the bomb. She's an awesome writer, keeps us updated on "evil calories" and thinks Rachel Ray is the anti-Christ. How sexy is that?

4) Chas of Broke But Still Drinking My token male. He's grungy, he loves to say "fuck" and he drinks tons of beer. Sexy? You be the judge.

I have many more sexy babes in my life, but these are the ones getting the award this time around. Please visit them, tell them Sexy Debbie sent you, and stalk, I mean follow them.

And don't forget to leave me a comment and tell me what makes YOU sexy!

I'm So Excited!

Have you ever been so happy for someone else that you can hardly stand it? Like, you want to run around the neighborhood banging on doors screaming "Guess what, guess what!" Yeah? Well, that's how I feel right now. My best writerly friend is on the verge of having some very good news and I can't wait to confirm it and share it with the world...

Stay tuned for "my" good news!

Are there any experiences like this that you've had in your life? If so, share please!

(My) Butterflies are Free!

Well, I survived my first skinning on Miss Snark's First Victim blog. Still not sure who the agent is, but he/she was pretty brutal with some of his/her critiques. I was lucky. I came out only slightly bruised; which, given the depth of negative criticism towards some of the submissions, was a blessing. The experience was worth it, though, and I'll tell you why.

Some of the suggestions I got from folks (not from the SA, btw) were eye-opening and allowed me to tweak the first 250 words of my ms even more. I greatly appreciate that. It also made me look at the first page of my ms in a new light: as a whole world unto itself, which is an interesting and worthwhile exercise. Of course, there is no way to tell your story in the first page, and really, why on earth would you? This is your first 250 words, remember, not a query. However, it does help to see what an agent sees when they first glimpse your partial or full ms (or sometimes even your query, since many agents request the first five pages or so with your query). We, as writers, know what's ahead in the story. Agents don't.

The trick is to grab them "right away" while still maintaining the integrity of your work, and therein lies the challenge.

My suggestion to all of you wonderful writerly types out there is to grab your first 250 words or so (basically, your first page) and dig in. Here are a few of the things I adjusted due to this experience that made sense to me: (And, of course, you should only make changes if they ring true for you!)

1) Added a small bit of detail (from "window" to "big, bay window");
2) Noted the year of my mc's parent's car, letting readers know what year it is (from: "their car" to "their new, 1980 Dodge Colt");
3) Combined a couple of lines of dialogue eliminating unneccesary details;
4) Included my mc's age so it would be clear I'm not "flashing back" in my first scene.

For me, these small improvements were well worth the butterflies and angst of having my work "on display." But believe me, there were butterflies and plenty of them!

I highly suggest you try this yourself, maybe with a few trusted writer friends, and see what you come up with. You may be pleasantly surprised. It's a great exercise in wringing out the last few drops of the "good stuff" for your ever-important ms intro.

Miss Snark's First Victim!

If anyone's interested, our beloved Authoress has a wonderful thing happening over at her place. So, hop on over to Miss Snark's First Victim to join in the fun.

There are 50 anonymous entries with the first 250-or-so words to their ms included. Only folks with a finished ms were invited to enter. Genres for these submissions included: YA, Middle Grade, and Women's Fiction. You can comment publicly or anonymously on any or all. Give helpful critiques so we writers may improve our craft. It's fascinating to see what other writers are up to.

Mine is entry #27, which just happens to be my favorite number! (Our band was called, 27 Dreams, and we made sure we got married on the 27th!).

What are you waiting for? Go!

Bo vs. Emmy Lou Cupcake

I'm sure, by now, you've all seen pics of the First Dog, Bo. He's cute, I'll give him that. However, my half-dozen are WAY cuter!

You be the judge. Here are my babies: Caramel, Dusty, Scampy, Emmy Lou Cupcake (my favorite!), Tiger Lilly and Zoro. Let me know what you think and tell me about your sweet babies!

Rewriting: Ain't it a Blast?

Ah, rewriting. Ain't it a blast? I'm not talking revisions here, I'm talking rewriting as in writing something from nothing. Kind of like a first draft only different. Since I've already written the whole brilliant masterpiece, it's not like I don't know the outcome. HOWEVER, I'm writing AS IF I don't know what's coming.

(If you're confused, you might compare this to when you and your honey dress up in a nurse and doctor's outfit. You've got a fairly good idea where you're headed, so to speak, but you may not be exactly sure how you'll get there. And that's more than half the fun. Do you get it now? Yeah, I thought you might.)

Anyhoo, I've had four requests for partials and was advised there's "too much back story." (Can you believe that? Sheesh. Some people's kids.) Since I've already chopped a good deal of my first three chapters out, I figured I'd try a new and, dare I say, revolutionary approach. I wiped the first three chapters off the map and started anew. Blank page, new Microsoft Word document, fresh as daisies clean. I wasn't entirely sure where the first three chaps would take me, but I was willing to throw my writing boots back on and walk down that illusive road to find out.

Remember my last post on Michelangelo and how he carved David? This is a quiz class, please pay attention. You'll be graded accordingly. Time's up! Hand in your papers. Hmmm. Wow, I'm impressed! You all get "A's." Except for you, Jason. You clearly weren't paying attention. I'm so disappointed. You're going to have to stay after class today. I've got a certain doctor's outfit I was hoping you'd try on... Where was I? Oh, yes. To recap: Mikey said carving David was easy because he simply got rid of everything that wasn't David. That Michelangelo - what a kidder! Following in Mikey's illustrious footsteps, I set out to dismiss everything that isn't Sparks Fly Sometimes, and I'm praying to Buddha, Allah, and Jesus, et al that I got it right this time.

This insane-yet-earth-shattering rewriting idea was spurred on by words of wisdom from a formidable and very hip agent, as well as a kickass-soon-to-be-agented writer hailing from the great state of Ohio. (As in, "four dead in...") Of course, I didn't rewrite entirely from scratch, since I knew how the story ends, middles, and sort of begins. However, I was writing from a different vantage point, eliminating pesky minor characters, and developing the divas and rock stars with the style, flair and elan they deserve.

The good news is, I did it! I'm done! And...I love it! Eureka! The view from the top of Mt. Everest is pretty damn gorgeous, although it's as cold as Sarah Palin in an ice storm in the middle of the Russian tundra (which , by the way, she can see from her house.)

I'll be sending these new and improved sample pages out to yet another (crazy? desperate? BRILLIANT!) agent who has requested my partial submission. We'll soon see if all my hard work pays off.

Wish me luck! ;-)

Stephen King - On Writing, Part II

First of all, I loved this book. It's informative, funny and (duh!) well-written. If it looked anything like David here, I'd marry it.

Pearls of Wisdom:

1) We each have a Toolbox that contains writing fundamentals: vocabulary, grammar and style. The further down we dig in the box, the more compelling the story will be. Interesting since I touched on this concept in my 4.2.09 post entitled "Creating Something from Nothing."

2) His two theses for this book include: Good writing = mastering the fundamentals and Read a lot, write a lot. Re: writing - How much is a lot? For him, that's 2,000 words per day. His books tend to be in the 180K range and he takes an average of three months to write a first draft. The way I look at it, find your target word count goal and divide by 90 (days in three months). For example, if your target word count is 90K, then write 1,000 words a day on average.

3) Novels contain three things: Narration, description and dialogue. Narration moves the story from Point A to Point B, Description creates a particular "reality," and Dialogue brings your characters to life. Where's the Plot you ask? Nowhere! The story should drive the novel, not the plot. Plotting and spontaneity of real creation are not compatible! Stevie says, "Plot is, I think, the good writer's last resort and the dullard's first choice. The story which results from it is apt to feel artificial and labored." Also, "Story is honorable and trustworthy; plot is shifty, and best kept under house arrest." Hey, folks, I'm just the messenger. Keep your hate mail to a minimum. Remember, I'm a highly sensitive artist-type. Thanks.

4) SK believes stories are relics, part of an undiscovered, preexisting world. Our job as writers is to use the tools in our toolbox to yank those suckers out of the ground as intact as possible. I agree, and it's the same with songwriting. I wrote a song about this topic MANY years ago (when I was no more than a wee lass). I've included the lyrics below.

5) SK's opinion on writing classes/seminars? Maybe, not-so-much. You are your own best teacher.

6) Ideal Reader: Every writer needs one. (SK's is his wife, Tabitha, also an accomplished writer.) This is the person who knows you best and will be brutally honest with you. When searching for your IR, you might first want to consider the person who shares your bed (or life) with you. This is also the person who (besides yourself) you write your books for. (Pictured: Stephen, Tabitha and their son, Owen.) My IR is my husband, Chuck. He's a great writer and his editing and review skills are uncanny. Each time he gets his hands on one of my chapters it improves exponentially. Thanks, hon!

7) Eliminate ALL unnecessary words. Seriously, all of them. This is different than "Kill your darlings" (which SK did NOT pen, btw). This refers more to the excess words we writers place in sentences because we're so darn smart, lazy and enamored with description.

8) Kill Your Darlings He didn't say it first, but he loves the phrase - so do I. Eliminate all scenes, no matter how brilliant, that are not part of your story. These may include back story and anything that is not the story you're trying to tell. This reminds me of the "conversation" Michelangelo had when asked how he carved David. "Easy. I simply carved away everything that wasn't David." Um, yeah, "easy."

9) 10% Rule - The second draft should be 10% "lighter" than the first. This is after you've eliminated unnecessary words and murdered your darlings. If your first draft is 80,000 words, your second should be 72K. Sorry folks. Again, I'm just the messenger.

When asked, "How do you write?" Stephen answers, "One word at a time." And when asked what writing is he says, "Telepathy, of course."

Which brings me to the lyrics I wrote all those years ago. I pictured songs "floating" around in the universe, not buried in the ground. However, same concept...

VOICES IN THE WIND (6.28.81)
Songs from within the wind, rap upon their doors
Currents whisper to lookers who will hear
Camouflaged dancers all waiting for a show
Waiting for their show
To talk and laugh and sing

Magical murmurs are asking to be caged
So they may open up and speak their minds on stage
Absent are heartbeats, still they're living for a word
Asking to be heard
To talk and laugh and sing

To talk and laugh and sing
A message each does bring
To have the chance to say

I hope you've enjoyed this trip into the mysterious world of writing. My thanks to Stevie for clarifying a bit of the mystery. And to my IR and life partner, Chuck for sticking with me regardless of how the story turns out.