This week we are visiting with Western romance author Celia Yeary, who shares with us her ideas on inspiration, imagination and the art of writing. Celia is a prolific author of historical and contemporary romances, most of which are set in Texas. One of the nicest people you'll ever meet, Celia is talented, enthusiastic and very supportive of aspiring new authors. Welcome, Celia!
How I Tackle Writing
Celia Yeary
Did you know you can find
numerous articles on the internet about how to write a novel? Most of them
begin with “think of a good story.” Now that, in my opinion, is the most
fascinating bit of advice I’ve ever read. “Think of a good story.” I've
wondered if Margaret Mitchell said that to herself as she sat down at her
typewriter. She certainly had a good story; I’ll admit that.
Recently, I learned from
another blog that Margaret Mitchell actually did sit down at her typewriter in
her small apartment to "see if she could write a book." She began
with the last chapter, which I found to be of great interest, and when she
finished Gone With the Wind, she was reluctant to allow anyone to read
it. Amazing, isn't it? And that was the one and only book she ever wrote.
If I could be so lucky. But
I'm not.
First, for me to think up a
good story I need time to DAYDREAM. That’s step number one —time to stare into
space and let my mind wander, imagining a scene or a character. This might occur
while I’m watching mind-numbing television, or while we’re on a long road trip
and I have time to stare at the highway in front of me, or best of all, if the
house is quiet and I’m all alone.
Second, I need A PROMPT of
some kind. This might be an old weathered gray house on the side of the road,
and I wonder who lived there and why. Maybe I see unique person walking along
the sidewalk, and I wonder who she is and where is she going. Perhaps I read a
news article, and something in it turns into a scene with people acting out the
story in the article.
Third, I need to ENVISION a
character, male or female, doesn’t matter. Who is this character? What is her
story?
I needed to write a 25,000
word Christmas story, and I thought of a couple I know who recently married.
She is a nurse, very tall, and she married a doctor who was even taller. They
worked together on a medical mission team in Guatemala and fell in love. So, my
story is based on a young woman who is to be maid of honor to her brother’s
best man. She worries about her height, but when she meets him, he stands even
taller than she. And of course, he’s a hunk. In my story, my heroine is a
pediatric nurse and my hero is an ex-Army medic. A Christmas Wedding was
born.
Of all the things that might
make me think of a story, the PROMPT is the most important.
For The Stars at Night, the PROMPT was an officer on a
motorcycle who passed us on the highway to stop a big black SUV in the Central
Texas Hill Country. At the time, I wondered--who was driving that vehicle? A
woman? Where is she going in such a hurry? As we passed, I noticed the SUV had
New York license plates. Aha! The story began.
The PROMPT for Addie and
the Gunslinger actually came from a publisher's description of novellas
they were seeking for a series. A story immediately came to me, about an outlaw
who had gone straight but landed in jail anyway. A beautiful woman arrived to
save him, and through his bewilderment at her claiming he was her long lost
sorry husband, he played along to get out of jail. This novella has become my
all-time best-selling story--and it was a reject from the publisher.
I'll bet many authors write
stories based on something unexpected. Not many of us can sit down like
Margaret Mitchell with the thought, "I'll see if I can write a book."
On the other hand, maybe she had a prompt that we don't know about. Wouldn't it
be wonderful to know what that was?
My most recent releases are
Western Contemporary Romance novellas: "Rodeo Man" and "Truck
Stop Paradise." I call these companion stories, as both are set in West
Texas and Dallas. This was purely coincidental on my part. However, the
novellas are stand-alone stories. I asked Karen Michelle Nutt, the artist, to
create covers that resembled each other, and she did a great job.
BLURB for Rodeo Man
Celia Yeary
Marla Ellington inherits an abandoned town on ranchland
near Arrowhead, Texas. When she arrives to claim her property, and finds Cody
Matheson sitting on the porch of the dilapidated honky-tonk, her temper flares
hotter than her pistol. Anger blazing, she settles in for a showdown.
Cody’s only goal for the week is to win the bull-riding
event at the Saturday night rodeo. But when Marla receives an anonymous threat
that forces her to leave town, Cody finds himself smack-dab in the middle of a
mystery. ’Course, catching a criminal and lasting eight seconds on a bull are
easy compared to winning the love of the feisty, strawberry-blonde beauty who
wants
nothing to do with him.
Now it's his turn for a showdown.
Links:
Amazon--
http://www.amazon.com/Rodeo-Man-ebook/dp/B00B14S4X4/ref=sr_1_21?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358284697&sr=1-21&keywords=celia+yeary
Barnes
and Noble--
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rodeo-man-celia-yeary/1114304192?ean=2940044251304
BLURB for
Truck Stop Paradise
Leigh Anne McClintock has spent her adult life shielding her
addictive sister Crissy. But when Crissy abandons a horse, Leigh Anne borrows a
pick-up and trailer and takes the horse from North Texas to the Panhandle ranch
owned by a childhood friend, Chad Rogers.
Chad has wondered for years
why his best friend Leigh Anne betrayed him and her sister Crissy on the night
of their ten-year high school reunion. When Leigh Anne arrives, he willingly takes
in the animal, and he cautiously tries to make peace with Leigh Anne. They feel
the old attraction, but neither can let go of the past.
When Crissy makes a
disturbing appearance, will Chad and Leigh Anne finally learn to put themselves
first ... and find the love that had been there all along.
Links:
Amazon--
http://www.amazon.com/Truck-Stop-Paradise-ebook/dp/B00CD38BEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366115197&sr=1-1&keywords=celia+yeary
Barnes and Noble-
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Truck-Stop-Paradise?keyword=Truck+Stop+Paradise&store=book
~*~
***I'd love to give away a copy of each novella. If
you have a Kindle or a Nook, if I choose your name, I'll Gift both to you. If I
choose your name and you've already read these stories, please feel free to
find my Author Page on Amazon--or Barnes and Noble--and find two other books
you'd like to have.
Thank you all for visiting and reading How I Tackle
Writing.
~*~
Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little
bit 'o Texas
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/celiayeary
Celia, thank you so much for visiting! Best wishes for continued success with your writing. I hope you will come back again soon. :-)
Welcome, Celia! It is wonderful to have you here this week. We are going to have a great time!
ReplyDeleteHi Celia,
ReplyDeleteYour Texas books sound interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the inspirations for your writing and your prompts. Congratulations on all of them.
Gail--I write Texas because it's what I know best. I still must do research for the historicals, but it's much easier than researching a foreign country--or even another state. Thank you.
DeleteYes, I'd say your prompts "pulled the trigger" to allow your mind to daydream. :) Congrats on the success of your westerns, Celia, and your covers are absolutely awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteMiss Mae--I love all my covers, and you have helped me get attention with those--remember our second place winner in the recent P&E poll for covers? I have that on my website--the badge you made for me. Thanks bunches!
DeleteWow, Celia, you and I think alike. I'm a big day dreamer... what better way to pass the time? Thanks for your tips on writing. Great post!
ReplyDeleteDanielle--I've always been a daydreamer--my family would say, she's off in her own little world again, as though I were addled or something. It does help pass the time--we're never bored, are we?
DeleteHi Celia,
ReplyDeleteI love to daydream. Thanks for sharing your steps to inspiration. I like to hear about how authors come up with their ideas. It's a special kind of magic.
Best wishes,
Kelley
Hi! I,too, like to hear how authors imagine a story and write it. Even though each of us has a slightly different approach, in the end they're all alike. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteHello, Regina! I am so happy to be visiting you here this week. If there's anything I love, it's talking about writing and how it comes about. It seems each person has a different plan, but on the other hand, we all think alike in a way.
ReplyDeleteIf a reader can find one new thing about writing fiction in this blog, I will one happy author.
Thanks so much, and I'll speak to the visitors, too.
Celia,
ReplyDeleteYou should write a book on how to write a novel. Here and on your blog, you always share interesting aspects of how you approach writing your awesome books. When I read one of your stories, the characters stay with me for a long time because they are so well-written.
Thanks, Gina, for having Celia on your lovely blog!
Diane--I'm not sure I could write a non-fiction book. But I so appreciate your compliments and support. You're a good friend, and I appreciate your thoughts on anything.
DeleteI admire the simple steps you take to begin, not getting bogged down in the minutiae early on. And I absolutely admire your output.
ReplyDeleteI hope your future novels/novellas bring in as many sales as Addie and the Gunslinger - what a title!
Linda--Oh, thank you so much for your comment. Well put, when you said it's good not to get bogged down in the details early on. That in itself is a good tip. (I love Addie and the Gunslinger. Do all authors have a favorite of their own books?)
DeleteI agree about the 'prompt', Celia. My new novel was 'prompted' by a newspaper article about a Parisian apartment that had been abandoned since 1939, and my half-written story started simply by seeing a famous actress's signature in a visitors' book in Ireland. It's fascinating to realise how just a small thing can trigger our imaginations!
ReplyDeletePaula--I can't always pinpoint what starts a story, but most often I can. I think authors are very observant--we watch for actions of people, and unusual occurrences. You never know when you can use it. Thank you.
DeleteHi Celia,
ReplyDeleteI loved that you put daydreaming time first. That's so important to be able to let the ideas float around in your head without the pressure of a looming deadline. I am just re-learning how much I need (and enjoy!) daydreaming time.
Loved the blogpost.
Maggie
Maggie--I couldn't write without daydreaming. Yes, deadlines can kill my creativity. I love knowing I can finish a book when I want to...or don't.
DeleteThanks for reading--
Daydream, prompt and envision, you're dead on, Celia. That is exactly how I start a story. And how I am preparing for my novella, Christmas Wedding Mangled.
ReplyDeleteMona--I love your new title! If only I could cruise for a month and just write. But those three steps do work, and I'm happy to know you use them, too. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am going to try them too! :-)
DeleteCelia and Gina: I enjoyed reading the interview, comments and blurbs. I especially liked Rodeo Man. I always like the standoffish woman and many of my stories are like that. My Indiana Jones hat(I have one) is off to you for successful stories from prompts. I wrote a couple of short stories from a prompt where a work fellow called me Roboman because I was a runner and he thought I was a good lab worker. Unfortunately, those stories didn't sell. Maybe I can pick up one of your novels at the Paducah signing next month. I look forward to meeting you face to face and talking writing. I need pointers.
ReplyDeleteHi, Larry--glad you liked Rodeo Man. I'm really looking forward to a road trip--from Central Texas--to Paducah to meet you and revisit the other author friends. I adore Linda--she is a dynamo..I feel slow and sluggish around her. She knows how to put on a fun book signing! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
ReplyDelete