Rochelle Bradley Author

National Novel Writing Month is quickly approaching. I've participated in this yearly challenge since 2008. This year I've volunteered to be a Municipal Liaison for my NaNoWriMo region. I feel honored and excited about this opportunity to kindle writers' passion.   Here are a few things I do to get ready for NaNoWriMo. I search for snapshots of people similar to how I view my main characters. I build a portfolio of characters and places significant to them, like their favorite pub. This helps me keep their physical attributes straight and if I ever forget, I can check the photo.     Another thing that helps me envision the completed manuscript is creating a cover and a blurb. Over Labor Day weekend I took a picture of a barn while the sun set. I enjoyed creating the cover art. It's a great visual to help keep me focused on the end goal while I'm chugging away at daily word count goals.   If you have a story in your mind that you...

         Jessica hugged herself and looked at the mirror on the wall. Trust him? She did, didn’t she? Things between them had been intensifying. Sometimes the all-consuming way he gazed at her made her feel as if her skin would sizzle right off. That cowboy was so sexy and masculine, at times, he made it hard to think. It was all this romance swirling around Fortuna. She shook her head. This was all Undine’s fault. Her and those blasted novels. The arousal avalanche started with the discovery of the provocative hoard, for the town and her, a sexual awakening. Could she embrace the sexy, sensual side of life?          Not yet.          Was she tempted to face it with Joe?          Hell, yeah. Life with Josiah Barnes would be like riding a mechanical bull, every second would count and it’d be one hell of a ride.

This summer I have two goals. One: write 10,000 words for www.campnanowrimo.org and two: edit The Double D (the complete manuscript). Luckily these goals coincide. Camp Nanowrimo is a time when a writer can pick their own word count goal. The least amount is 10K and the most is 50K. As I write this I am one hundred and five words away from completing goal number one.  My contemporary western romance has twenty-nine chapters and I am currently working on number twenty. The date I have in  mind to be finished is August twelfth. I'm not confident it can be completed by then. Hey, you can't rush perfection. Can you spot the camouflage kitty? My desk only has half the number of books on it and my writing sphinx is curled up on a chair taking a snooze. Well, enough procrastinating... time to get those one hundred and five words finished.

To keep you up dated... I'm currently working on editing my 2013 NaNoWriMo Novel for the July Camp NaNoWriMo . It is a humorous small town contemporary western romance set in the fictional town of Fortuna, Texas. Think of the puns and innuendo of an Austin Powers movie set in any small town U.S.A. and you'll get a taste of The Double D. I've pitched this novel to a couple of agents and more recently, an executive editor. The full manuscript has been requested. (Yay!) Even though the story is complete, as well as a sequel, I'm hitting it hard to make it perfect. Here is a brief synopsis: When Jessica inherits her grandparent's Longhorn ranch she also becomes the owner of her grandmother's romance novel hoard. Every book is initialed by her grandma. She wants nothing to do with men or romance and that includes those blasted books. One man volunteers to help donate the books and she ends up daring him to read a few, he ups the ante by daring other men, and ...

As a child I must have asked a lot of questions and pestered the dickens out of my mother because she always asked me "Are you writing a book?" Looking back, I smile and wonder if this idea was subconsciously planted in my mind. I have said before if I would have been a cat, I'd be dead because curiosity would have killed me. I've always asked questions, especially regarding the etymology of words. Are you writing a book? Why not? Find a starting (once upon a time) and an ending (they lived happily ever after) point. The journey from start to finish shouldn't be a straight line or else it'd be a boring story. The character needs a few bumps along the road to make the story interesting, a downed tree blocking the road is even better. Forcing a character to make challenging decisions- to go around the log to the left and X, Y & Z happens or go to the right or maybe, just maybe, the character will find the strength or a friend he or she needs to hurtle ...

Recently, I met a few women and over an evening of dinner and drinks, we had enough inside jokes to fuel many laughs and spawn a short story. Usually my stories come from dreams but, in this case, I was inspired by companionship, smiles and laughs. One of the women took a quiz on Facebook: what would your name be today? We searched the decades and giggled over our names from the 40s or 1890. Our alter egos: Bella, Gia & Electa were born. These three names have been swirling around in my head with a plot for a week or so. In the story, the characters live by the mantra "good friends don't let you do stupid things alone." I plan to write a 1K word story today. This flash fiction will be a gift for two of the women who volunteer their time to work with children. With any luck it will earn a few giggles.

Writing can be lonely. Let's face it, it's a solitary activity. If you feel isolated, here are some suggestions. This time last year I was truly TheNoviceWriter  but over the course of twelve months I've had many other novice writers ask me questions about writing. I found I could not only answer but offer advice based on my experiences in 2014. #1: Join a writing group. Once a week, once a month or even once a year meet with others who share your passion. You can find these groups on Meetup or other social media sites like Facebook. Enter your location and your interest and voila! You'll have a list to choose from. Your local library might offer writing clinics or clubs. National Novel Writing Month  is a event that happens every November. You have a chance to connect to other writers in your area on the forums but they also host "write-ins" at local coffee shops like Panera. It's a great time to meet other writers, experienced, published or novic...