No, not those juices! Geesh,
where's your mind at?
I'm talking about those creative
juices. You know, the inspiration, the ideas, the stuff needed to breathe life
into stories.
Writing is a pretty solitary job. I mean, think about it—we sit in front
of a computer all day, putting those snippets of scenes that flash through our
minds onto our version of paper. We'll stare off into space, watching our own imaginary
world unfold—while anyone who sees us doing that is thinking we're probably having
some kind of break from reality. And okay, maybe we are. Not necessarily a bad
thing, right?
We create characters, real live people (to us and—if done right—to the
readers) with their own hopes and dreams and fears and interactions.
But when it comes to interacting in real life? Hmm…maybe not so much.
When your job involves living in a make-believe world, shut away from the real
one while you create your own, you don't always have time to "hang
out". Then throw in the fact that quite a few writers also happen to be introverts
and…well, you get the picture.
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| Creative juices are flowing in Nashville! |
That's why writers love hanging
around other writers. Have you ever been to a conference or booksigning, near
the beginning during set-up? It's a huge hug-fest, with lots of smiles and
laughter and talking. That's because writers get writers. It's normal
to stare off into space (sometimes in the middle of a conversation). It's normal to talk about a character and her
problems and issues and goals as if she was a real live person (because, you
know, she is). Other writers get that, in a way nobody else can.
And that's why writers' retreats are the next best thing to falling into a
vat of chocolate. You can sit down, discuss ideas, talk about those real
characters. Plan and vent and rant and bounce ideas off each other. Get a group
of writers together and that plot bump you've been struggling with suddenly
disappears. Get a group of writers together and the inspiration and motivation
takes off like that proverbial runaway train.
I just got back from a writers' retreat—this one in Nashville, with
four fantastic ladies who kick some serious butt when it comes to inspiration
and motivation. We're all at different stages in our careers but that doesn't
matter—because we're writers.
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| Enjoying some downtime in Nashville--all in the name of research, of course! |
And no, it wasn't all business. I mean, we were in Nashville—of course we're going to go out and play. And we did—from
eating popcorn and watching Beauty and
the Beast in our pj's, to hitting Opry Mills Mall and eating German food,
to seeing the Grand Ole Opry and hitting up a honky tonk or three on lower
Broadway (alcohol may or may not have been involved). It was a week of bonding,
of writing, of bouncing around ideas and creating grand business plans. Of
motivation. Of accountability.
Of friendship.
That's the other great thing about writers. Because of our jobs, we
don't get a chance to see each other in person very often. But the distance—in
both physical location and in time apart—doesn't matter. Months can go by until
we see each other again and it doesn't matter. We'll hug and scream and laugh
and carry on as if only a day has gone by. Then we'll get right down to
business and talk about our characters and problems and inspire one another.
Motivate one another.
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| Kicking it up at the Nashville Palace. |
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
But for now, I need to get back to my characters and their world. I
have a schedule to keep to, and four wonderful ladies who will be kicking my
butt if I don't stick to it!
***************
Lisa B. Kamps is currently
juggling three series about real characters with real lives and real problems
living in her head: The Baltimore Banners, The York Bombers, and Firehouse Fourteen. Her latest title, Second Alarm, is scheduled
for release July 26 and can be ordered by clicking here.
To
learn more about Lisa, please visit her website or follow her on
Facebook and Instagram.
It was fun for me to write a football-themed story. Readers who've been with me for awhile might remember that my first miniseries for Harlequin Desire, Bayou Billionaires with my friend Catherine Mann, was set in the world of pro football. My titles were His Secretary's Surprise Fiance and Secret Baby Scandal. The hero of the former was a coach. The hero of the latter, a quarterback.
