Branching Out of Your Norm

Here at Not Your Usual Suspects, we mostly write mysteries and suspense, but I’m sure there are a number of authors who have branched out to other genres…maybe with material along the same lines (including horror or thrillers) or maybe...something else.

Personally, I’ve branched out into young adult (although it’s not yet published). It’s not a permanent move, but it’s definitely a departure from my norm of romantic suspense.

There is another more recent branching out that occurred. It’s been years in the making and really something I didn’t think would see the light of day, but sometimes life leads you down unexpected paths. After all, I never thought the day job would actually co-exist with my writing job, but one gave me the education to make both worlds meet.

Also… the current climate of the nation had something to do with this latest endeavor because this country could really use a couple of minutes to laugh and recharge as we struggle through each new day and the surprises that come with it.

Okay, I’ve stalled long enough, so here’s the latest.

Last Monday was the release of my first non-fiction book. It’s straight from the day job and in that, I mean, it’s been years in the making. It’s called Overheard on the Set and it’s a book of quotes that my husband and I have been compiling for a very long time.

It’s strictly for laughs (and maybe a few shocks).  It’s also rated PG and intended for older audiences. (18+)

So, if you’re looking for a laugh or even a gift for someone who has everything, this might be something to consider.  Keep in mind the quotes are out of context, but that's most of the fun. We have separated them by chapters including 'Props Gone Wild', 'What!' and 'Wardrobe issues' just to name a few. 

Here are some of the quotes in volume 1. (Volume 2 & 3 are in the works.):

“His goal? His goal is to be employed tomorrow.”

“Would you give him the note? I don’t want to be punched.”

“We’ll never see him fully erect.”

“Maybe we go a little angled just to see his thing.”

“I’ll try not to draw blood.”

Here’s the blurb:

Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall during production of a sitcom?

Ever wanted to know just what goes into making television?

Overheard on the Set is a behind the scenes glance at what really happens on set before and during production.

We warn you. Sometimes it isn’t pretty. And sometimes it’s so funny you can’t help but laugh.

Overheard on the Set. You won’t believe your ears.

The 5 star reviews keep coming which makes us very grateful!

Happy Monday!

Links are below if you're interested. 

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo 

EMOTIONS

     

     Emotions are found in humans, sculptures, gods, and story tellers—whether oral or inscribed on anything from papyrus to paper to personal or commercial sites on the web. Emotions touch, disturb, move, shake and, a good deal of the time, distress relationships between lovers, friends, family, co-workers, and—politicians. Emotions felt by the powerful can often change history.

     Time spent at an ancient site or a museum will still arouse emotions today that were felt when the relics, and works of art first appeared and the mummified bodies we see today laughed, cried and loved life and each other. 

     A text can expose the reader to history where our forefathers felt the same feelings we feel today or another galaxy imagined by the writer. Language may cover an emotion but subtext such as facial expression or the posture and movement of a body can uncover true feelings. Grins or sneers, anguish, agony, desire, a blush, a scowl, gestures, hesitant speech, the glow of moistness or the smell of perspiration.

     Art, theater, design, architecture, sculpture, fiction, non-fiction, poetry—the emotions of people are affected by paintings that present other lives, other worlds; sculpture we want to touch because it seems to breathe, the life of and the lives in a building we pass, the words of a playwright and poet, the characters written by a novelist, the historical figures we want to stay with us always.

     The Onassis Cultural Center in New York has an exhibit titled A World of Emotions Ancient Greece from 700 BC – 200 AD. Greek art used myth and common happenings of existence to bring the context of a scene to the observer. The sculptures are from the Acropolis Museum in Athens and feature Greek gods, their battles their erotic adventures with mortals, their jealousies and hates. There is a funerary mask from the Archeological Museum of Thessaloniki, a wall painting from the Sacrifice of Iphigeneia from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli and a scene of Media killing her child from the Louvre Museum—illustrating love turned to violent hate. 

The play written by Euripides and performed in six operas—has been seen by generation after generation. The exhibit runs until June 24. I recommend A World of Emotions to all writers in the city.           

Confessions of a Terrified Author

I love writing. The entire process from creating new worlds and characters to building relationships and causing troubles I can resolve is exhilarating. The whole shebang from “What if…” to “The end” is my kind of good time. I wake up each morning excited about the day and eager to take my fictional friends on new adventures. It’s wonderful. A real delight! The only problem with this writing-high is that it always ends.

Eventually, I’ve done all I can, and I have to admit that I can’t make the novel any better on my own. So, I hand the file off to my agent, then my editor, and they each give feedback. They request revisions. They see things I can’t because I’m too close. Slowly, the story changes. A little here. A lot there. Until my work becomes something more, and for a minute I feel excited again because it’s better than ever and readers will enjoy it so much more. I hope.

Then it’s released. Suddenly, the book I loved and cherished and toiled over ten hours a day for weeks on end is loose in the wild. It is no longer safe in the hands of my team – people who love me and want me to succeed. Now, it’s out *there*. In readers’ hands. And I have no idea or control over what they will think about it.

None.

This is my definition of terrifying. If you’re imagining me, knees hugged to chest, eating TUMS from the bottle, you’re pretty close. There’s a lot of fear in judgement. As an author, I have the added internal pressure of trying to make people happy. Not because all authors do, but because this is the reason I write. I write to make readers smile. I write to make them happy. When I fail, it’s crushing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far too hardheaded to give up, but that just makes each book more nerve wrecking. Will THIS be story that pleases them? I wonder. Have I finally gotten it right? Have I given them a proper escape? Have I refueled them?

I know, of course, that I can’t please everyone, but it doesn’t stop me from trying. That’s my insane author goal. I want to provide my readers with the same wonderful feelings that my favorite authors give me. I have a long way to go. I know, but until then, I’ll keep trying. And keep that five-gallon jug of TUMS on my list of regular Amazon deliveries. 

If you're a writer in fear, like me, I hope you'll keep going. We can trade virtual hugs as needed, and if you're a reader (also like me), I hope you know how much the (very likely) introverted, anxious, and terribly dedicated writer of that novel you're reading loves what they do. And even the books that don't speak to us as readers are the heart's work of someone out there working very hard to get it right. 

I SPY: Writing Rehab

Join the authors and friends of Not Your Usual Suspects for an occasional series of posts about their world of reading, writing and publishing.

Short and sweet, hopefully both informative and entertaining - join us at I-Spy to find out the how's and why's of what we do.

TODAY'S POST: I Spy something beginning with ...

Writing Rehab

Some call it refilling the well. Some call it getting back on that horse. Some call it fighting your way out of the abyss you've fallen into.

Whatever you want to call it, recovering your creative spirit after some time away from writing can be difficult. I blogged last year about burnout. I’ve also blogged about finding the *write*balance. But this past year tested my limits in new ways, and I felt like I lost my creative energy.

When I blogged about burnout in February 2016, I was in the midst of pushing myself to my limits, trying to put out three books within about 6 months (plus another 14 months total, if you include planning and some initial writing phases, but the bulk of the intense editing and production occurred within that last 6 months).  Little did I know at that time that right around the corner were financial issues for our family, as well as physical issues that required major surgery and eight weeks of recovery. Add to that three growing children who have needed an increasing amount of parental time, especially a middle child who’d just hit the pre-teen years and was testing our boundaries right and left… Well, you can imagine how the writing took a backseat to the rest of life, and the creative burnout was just beginning.

And that’s okay. Well, not exactly okay. Burnout is never fun, and it wasn’t "okay" at first, but it had to become okay or I would have completely lost my mind. (If you inserted echoing, maniacal laughter here, it would be totally appropriate.)

But I’d learned from my days as a counselor, and from life experience, that times of trouble were often a sign of changes to come—and usually those changes were for the better...eventually. So I kept the faith (most days) and trusted (some days) that it would all work out. And March and April of 2017 have been infinitely better.

What did I learn from this 18-month crisis period? That sometimes you just can’t be creative. Creativity takes massive energy. Psychic energy. And when you don’t even have physical energy, how can you have the psychic energy? You may have heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need, and writers are not immune.

Image from: TheBlaze.com.

This hierarchy indicates that if your basic physiological needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and safety are not met, then you can’t reach the higher needs like esteem and self-actualization. And I believe that writing is a form of self-actualization. It’s trying to understand who people are (via characters) and why we exist (via stories).

Recalling this hierarchy helped me get through some tough times. After all, if I’m in physical pain and working hard to meet those basic tiers at the foundation of the pyramid, how can I expect to focus on the pinnacle?

Regaining my creative self is a work in process, but I feel I’m finally getting there. At first, I gave myself permission to take three months off (from writing, anyway). I focused on my physical health and my family. And then I tried writing again. I gave myself permission to write whatever I wanted, so I skipped around on various projects, trying to find my voice again, and trying to be thrilled with 100 words on a good day when I used to be able to write 3000. Trying to find that story that impassioned me.

Nothing did.

So I gave myself some more time off and permission to keep playing around, celebrating those100 words a day, even if I knew they would eventually be deleted. And I focused on getting my physical health back (which was getting close to requiring surgery at that point). And on getting my financial upsets settled (which included relocating my mother-in-law). And on putting my family time front and center (giving that middle child the time and energy he needed).

So here are my "REHAB" tips:

R:  Rest/Read

Get enough sleep, but also rest the mind when needed. Reading craft books as well as reading for fun (when I finally found it fun again) was helpful.

E:  Exercise

This includes physical and mental exercise. Getting back into a routine where I was up and moving a couple hours a day, either via walks, a yoga app, getting the house clean, or whatever, was really helpful in feeling like I was meeting a goal where I was in control. Also, the reading of craft books was part of my mental exercise, as was getting those 100 words a day. Gradually increasing those goals (both physical and mental) re-developed old habits.

H:  Health and/or Help

Finding that balance between rest, exercise, and hobbies that feed the creativity was imperative to overall health. But I also knew I had to seek help, because I was feeling really alone. Whether through counseling for depression or finding friends who would listen and understand, it was important to reach out and let others know I could use a hand.

A:  Assess and/or Actualize

Daily, I try to assess what would make me happy. Life is too short to live in misery if you have other options. I try to choose daily goals that help me reach that self-actualization tier. Activities that help me believe in myself and my talents again. I tell myself daily that I can do it, and set goals that reinforce that fact. (Note to self: Don't bite off more than you can chew! It only leads to disappointment.)

B:  Behave and/or Breathe

I regained a writing habit by rewarding myself when I met my goals. This is helping me get back into the writing habit. But I also have to remember to breathe. It's just life. We don't have to be perfect. We don't even have to write if we don't want to. But breathing...yeah, that's kind of necessary. In fact, that's the first thing on the hierarchy of needs.

So, it's April 2017 now and I feel good about myself again, and gradually, the creativity is coming back. I still struggle, but I’m trying not to be hard on myself. Trying to take it one day at a time. Trying to focus on how far I've come since this time last year.

Gradually, I’ll get there. And I’ll be stronger knowing that if this ever happens again, I’ll get through it with the "REHAB" tricks I've learned.

What things do you do to restore or refill that creative well? Any REHAB tips?

Anne Marie has always been fascinated by people—inside and out—which led to degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Counseling.  Her passion for understanding the human race is now satisfied by her roles as mother, wife, daughter, sister, and award-winning author of romantic suspense.  

She writes to reclaim her sanity.

Find ways to connect with Anne Marie at www.AnneMarieBecker.com. There, sign up for her newsletter to receive the latest information regarding books, appearances, and giveaways.