New Year's Resolutions

As the year comes to an end and a new year looms ahead, it is time for reflection and resolutions. This was a good year for me as I finished the edits on "Desire's Awakening" and it was published in late October. But next year, I hope to polish four or five stories that I've been working on for some time and submit them to my editor. In order to accomplish that goal, I need to set a realistic writing plan, with enough play in it that if something unforseen comes along, I won't get too far behind and stress out about it. I know what works for me is the discipline of a writing schedule with specific word/page goals. So before January 1, 2010 rolls around, I'll have made a calendar with chunks of time blocked for each story.

Someone once said to me - "If you're a writer, you must write." That's so true. Spending too much time thinking about a story and not getting it down on paper will not only ruin a timetable, it also leads to writer's block. Some people say, "I'm waiting for inspiration." Not me. The moment I start writing, I am inspired, even if I have no idea about what type of story I'm going to craft. All I need is a character and conflict and voila, everything from then on is action/reaction. My characters reveal themselves in many ways. I let them talk, and yes, they often surprise me with what comes out of their mouths. I don't worry about length; the book will be as long as it takes to tell the tale. The most important thing for me is whether or not I've delved deep enough into my character's psyche to ensure that my readers connect and root for that person. If I've achieved that, everything else falls into place.

Many times, stories require research. I like to create realistic places, so I search the web for them if I'm not familiar with them. Of course, if it's on another world, I can't go there, but I must make sure my readers know they're not in Kansas anymore. Take "Avatar", for instance. James Cameron created a lovely world that we all bought into because we knew it wasn't Earth. He did a fantastic job of helping us suspend disbelief so we could enjoy the story. That's key to any good story.

So, with a detailed map of what I plan to achieve during the next 52 weeks in hand, I wish all of you a wonderful New Year. See you at the bookstore!    

The Reviews Are Coming In

I'm so excited -- my first review on Desire's Awakening is in from Seriously Reviewed:

"Holy Knocking Kneecaps!!!! WOW! I am not sure that I can really get across how rocking this story was, but I fully intend to try.  If you have never indulged in a hard core BDSM novel but have always been curious, here is a great one to start with.  It really delves into the lifestyle and shows the reader all aspects.

Riviting, gut clenching, captivating.  Filled with characters that really come to life and jump off the pages.  Rocking sex that pushes the limits and goes beyond for those of us who are used to Vanilla :)  Totally smoking with an ending that makes it all worth it, though the story itself was well worth every word and then some.

Ms. DeYoung has definitely earned herself a die hard fan.  I will be on the buy page when her next release hits the web :)"

http://www.seriouslyreviewed.blogspot.com/

Inspiration

People often ask me where I come up with the ideas for my stories -- is it a character that develops in the back of my mind, or is it a circumstance? Actually, it's both. They sort of evolve concurrently. It could be a smile on the lips of lovers, or a forlorn look of someone who seems to have received some bad news. The triggers vary, and that's why I'm on alert so I don't miss them. Often, words in a song will evoke a picture in my mind of the people portrayed and I wonder what circumstances surround them. At other times, I observe something and my mind begins to question "what if?" For instance, "Leaves in the Wind" was the result of watching a little girl trying to cross a busy street without a crossing guard. I wondered what made her late, where were her parents, what would happen if she was hit by a car. Those ideas took seed in my imagination until one day I started writing and the little girl came forth to tell me her story.

Recently, I've found it very useful to interview my characters. I ask them to tell me about themselves and how they feel about certain topics, i.e., relationships with the opposite sex, etc. Through their answers, I get to know them. You'd be amazed how much you can find out if you just let your thoughts drift and write down whatever comes to you. By the time I begin to write my story, I already know how they'll react to certain circumstances and it makes them real in my mind.

Coming up with ideas for a storyline is really not that difficult. The hard part is putting it down on paper in an interesting way that snatches the audience's attention and keeps it all throughout the book. Most people have ideas, Writing a book seems easy. So does parenthood and riding a horse. But you soon find out that nothing is ever as easy as it appears and there are skills that must be learned before you become proficient in any endeavor.

I am learning every day...whether it is by trial and error, observing how others handle certain scenarios, or hearing critiques of my writing and realizing that my "baby" still has a way to develop before I can share it with the world.  I truly hope that I can improve a little every step along the way because I believe in the long run, my readers will benefit.

Why I Write Erotica

When I was growing up, sex was something that "married people" did.  My parents wouldn't talk to me about it.  I went to a Catholic grade school and our "sex education" consisted of the boys and girls being herded into separate rooms so we could see a video. In it, a girl kissed a boy on the beach (both were clothed) and in the next scene, she was hugging the toilet throwing up.  Her mother yelled at her for getting pregnant and her boyfriend ran away when she told him the news.  It made a huge impression on me. No one told me that there was more than a kiss involved in getting pregnant.  Imagine the torture my first boyfriend went through trying to get a kiss out of me when I was petrified of getting pregnant. Back then, it was called "first base" and poor Greg struck out every time.

Movies back then always panned off into the distance when the hero and heroine kissed. No one saw what was happening in the bedroom. It was left to our imagination and those of us who weren't married were left in the dark. I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I didn't have sex until I was 18...very old by today's standards. I couldn't even get my hands on any books that shed light on the topic. Luckily, my second boyfriend was a very virile young man who threw rocks at my window and snuck into my bedroom when my parents were sleeping. Ah, young love! I got a good education from him. Unfortunately, he went off to Vietnam and the war ruined our plans to get married.

I eventually married another handsome young man who knew the basic sex positions and for 18 years, that was our life. It wasn't until after I got divorced that I found out about Kama Sutra and D/s.

I can't say for sure that my marriage might have turned out differently had I been more sexually aware back then. However, if the romance novels that I read voraciously during those years had more graphic sex, I might have encouraged my husband to explore different things. But when one doesn't know what one is missing, it's hard to verbalize what you want. I personally like reading a hot book. It turns me on and that directly affects my partner.

I recall the priest telling my fiance that there were three things that most couples argued about -- 1) money, 2) sex, and 3) religion. He was right on. Sex is important to a relationship and whether one is single or married, it never hurts to get a little stimulated beforehand. Erotica books go a long way to achieving that goal. And that is why I write erotica. 

Comments on my new book 'Desires Awakening"

Ashley on 11/2/2009, said:

I loved this book. I hope she writes another

Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your story Desires Awakening. It was wonderful. Please write more soon.

Have a great day, Lynda

I'm so happy to see such great responses to my new book. You can be sure I will write more and am
currently working on more stories. A big thank you to my fans!

Happy Reading!
Gail DeYoung

"Welcome To My Blog"

Welcome to my first blog. I am so excited to finally be able to communicate with everyone in this fashion. It reminds me of a line from the movie, "Julie and Julia" where Julie says to her husband, "I can blog, I have thoughts." I got a kick out of that, but it's true. We all have thoughts that we can share. I hope you'll feel free to make comments on my thoughts and to ask questions or suggest topics.

The main focus of this blog will be about writing, and you'll not only hear my viewpoint, but I'll be iniviting other authors to share their comments, too. I've learned a lot over the years, but it doesn't mean I'm still not learning something new every day. To be a writer takes commitment, not only to learn the craft, but to sit in front of a computer on a regular basis and put words down. It's a lonely job, but also one that can be extremely fulfilling, especially when "The End" is typed. I knew this was what I wanted to do in my early twenties, but I learned the hard way that before you can run you have to walk. Getting to this point has taken many years of starts and stops and hard work, but I wouldn't trade a moment of the sweat and tears.

The first thing I learned is that if you want to be a writer, you must have thick skin. No matter what you do, there will be people who will love what you write and others who can't stand it. But isn't that the way it is with everything? Everyone has an opinion and they're not shy about expressing it. In order to write, you have to learn not to take criticism personally, just understand that you can't please everyone.

That said, you must also turn out a product that is professionally written. Spelling and punctuation errors don't go over well with editors and can cause your manuscript to be rejected or sent back for revisions. In addition, plot holes, characterization flaws and a story that veers off into another direction before getting back on track can be cause for rethinking and major changes. Just because a first draft is written doesn't mean it's going to be instantaneously accepted. Revision is a way of life.

I've attended plenty of conferences over the years and have heard editors talk about the "slush pile". As a writer, that's the last place you want your manuscript to be. Publishers get thousands of submissions every month and getting throught them is not easy. That is why they hire people to read the mail that is not directed to a specific editor. The story that you have put your heart and soul into for over a year can be summarily rejected by someone who is not an editor. You have a much better chance of having an editor read over your first three chapters and a synopsis if you attend a writer's conference and pitch your book to an editor. That's why I make it a point to attend at least one conference a year.

Some people write a book and never send it out, some send their stories out and get rejected, so they give up. But persistence is one of the things that separates a successful writer from the others. There are many other factors, but I'm going to save that for another blog.

Although I now have three books under my belt (so to speak), I cannot sit back and bask in the glow of those accomplishments. I am often asked, "What are you working on next?" because yes, there is always the next book. So for now, I'm going to say goodbye because if I don't get back to writing, I'll never get it published. Thanks for stopping by my blog.