Site Meter Vamps and Scamps: How do you do what you do?

Saturday, September 09, 2006

How do you do what you do?

I just got back from lunch with a reader and a dear friend. We spent the time chatting about writing and they asked that question that always makes me think, shake my head, wonder at myself and think some more. It's that "How do you do what you do?" thing and well, the honest answer is, "I don't know." Story ideas come to me all the time from everywhere and I'm not sure how I translate those ideas from thought to computer because to a certain extent...I think making books is like magic. Something if I think about too long, I might lose. LOL

This question really has meaning for the final book in my historical trilogy out in October. Well, because it was one of those books that got written in a fit of white lightening. I wrote the black moment in a 14 hour spate at the computer with two ten minute breaks for the bathroom. I don't remember eating. Only drinking ... lots of water. 57 pages later, I was sick to my stomach and feeling like I'd had a huge catharsis of the soul. But if you ask me how I did it...why that book got written in 30 days when others of similar length can take three months, or more...I have no answer. I simply don't know.

I only know that the characters and their story remained my favorite I had written for two, maybe three years after (I wrote the book 5 years ago) and I'm really hoping readers see a glimmer of the magic I found in that book.

What book makes *you* feel like there must have been something magical about its creation?

Hugs,
Lucy

5 comments:

Stacy~ said...

The books that I feel that way about are the ones that make me cry, for whatever reason. It could be sad, romantic, happy, whatever. It's because the book stays with me, in my heart, and I know it was something amazing that created it.

The Troubleshooter series by Suzanne Brockmann

The Brotherhood series by J R Ward

These are the books that have made the strongest impact on me, especially recently. I've read some books that were just "okay", some that were good, and some not so good. They all lacked that extra magic that would compell me to re-read them. But there are still some that have it.

Judy F said...

Oh Lucy I loved Take Me its my favorite of the three. Its been a week or so since I read it and its still in my mind. That is a great book.

Books that stay with me, maybe just the characters or certain scenes or just the title will bring back that feeling I had when I read it.

Kelley Nyrae said...

Emotional reads always stay with me. Also books that I can relate too.

Wolfy said...

Books that I can associate with and feel apart of. Ones that after you have read them you think about them for no apparent reason, and remember something about the hero or heroine and this might be quite awhile after after reading the book, but for some reason it sticks with you.

Cryna

Lucy Monroe said...

Stacy...JR Ward's books are still on my TBR stack. I want to read them, but I may wait until closer to the release of Book 3 so I can read all at once.

JudyF...Thanks! I'm a sucker for emotion too. Books that make me feel deeply get re-read many times no matter what my schedule is like.

Kelley...I think relating to the characters on a visceral level makes a story magic in a big way. I know when I write a story, I always hope it will touch all kinds of people, but especially those who may have gone through something similar.

Cryna...movies can be that way too, can't they? We watched "Marilyn Hochkiss (sp?) School of Dance" (it's a straight to DVD movie new release) this weekend and both dh and I found ourselves thinking about it and spontaneously talking about it over and over again. VERY good movie.