Lala Land

It's Puzzling!

2011-11-14T08:28:00.001-08:00

"Success is falling nine times and getting up ten."

~Jon Bon Jovi

Imagine you have a 75,000 piece puzzle. Yes! 75K!

As of last night I finished mine!

Now some of the pieces don't fit quite right as I've tried to jam them into place. They'll need to be moved around. Some of the pieces I'll cut and jam them in ever harder to make them fit.

My puzzle is 75,000 words. My newest manuscript, CoverBoy, is complete. Sort of. Kind of. But for a few puzzling pieces! I think my cat might have ate some.

This is the best analogy I have for you on writing a novel. For those of you that are curious, less than one percent of the population that sits down to write their great American novel [or Spanish or German or African] actually completes it.

And yet the process is a bit like a salesman. You can celebrate knowing that you made the sale. And then you can celebrate when all the objections to the sale are settled. You will then celebrate the closing of the sale. And then, and only then, you realize The End, when your sale is on 'the record books'.

Today I wish you many celebrations along your journey!

Lala

A Room With a View

2011-09-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
~ Scott Adams

I admit it. I’m feisty. I’m a rule breaker. I never ever go against the law or anything like that, but dang, don’t tell me what I can and can not do within my own space. If my husband were to tell me I couldn’t have a dog he would come home to find me with five puppies drooling and peeing on his side of the bed! Luckily, I have a husband that knows to expect anything and everything when he walks in the door. One time he came home and found me caring for an abandoned newborn fawn in our dining room!

Recently I moved the furniture around in our bedroom. We have a large bay window overlooking the great Tucson sunset skies and our pool.

We have a small master bedroom. The room dictates there is only ONE proper wall for a King bed. That wall doesn’t overlook the skies and the sunsets and the pool.

The word proper is not in my vocabulary when it comes to creative expression. I got that thorn up my you-know-what and decided I didn’t care. I moved our bed around. A bed with a view. If you look into my master bedroom it looks pretty cool from the corridor but the furniture is squished up against a fraction of an already fractioned room. But the bed has a view. I love it.

This new love got me thinking. Look out! Lala is cogitating.

Our minds are cluttered. As writers we are constantly scribbling down notes and making first outlines with first drafts and a bazillion edits to follow. We are at our computer monitors alone and for hours if we are to be prolific.

Where in our mind is that room with a view? That place of sanctuary where we feel safe to entertain crazy thoughts and plots? A place where our creativity is instinctive?

Is there a special space in your thinking? Is there a corner in a private room in your mind that might be open to new visitors of thought? Is there a room with a view that you haven’t recognized, praised and welcomed, even if all the other pieces don’t fit?

We all have a room with a view but we don't always have the key that opens it.

Today I wish you that key!

A Room With a View

Bye Bye Borders.

2011-07-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Many of you know I hail from Denver.

Years ago I experienced a wonderful itsy-bitsy and mostly used book store called the Tattered Cover. I was an interior designer working just a few doors down, in Denver's upscale area known as Cherry Creek.

The original Tattered Cover offered a great musty smell, most likely off of ancient books and even more ancient upholstered chairs crammed into corners and impassible aisles.

The Tattered Cover blossomed into several bookstore locations in the Denver area. It's a wildly independent success story, although they have had to modify/change locations/cut square footage along the way as they learned what works. Those musty chairs have long been replaced with comfy seating fit for a king. Or a serious reader.

The demise of Borders? We knew it was coming and yet it's sort of like the death of someone close to us that we knew to be terminally ill. The death still shocks us.

Do you know the story of the eagle?
It can live for about 70 years, but in mid-life it must face a fact. The eagle's beak is worn down, bent, and useless. It's talons, the same. It is weighted down with old and too large of feathers.
At about the age of 40 the eagle will die unless it CHANGES. He first breaks down his beak, often upon rocks, and the beak will rejuvenate itself. And with his new beak he bites and pulls apart the old talons, and new talons grow. With the new talons he is able to pluck the old and useless feathers from his body.

And the eagle will soar. For about another 30 years!

End of my story. End of my blog. You get it.

The Ecstasy is in the Agony?

2011-07-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Yes! Sometimes the ecstasy is IN the agony!

Writer's block? Plot fracture? Missing perfect word?

I have a great team surrounding me and my writing career. CP's, beta readers, marketing geniuses and business gurus. And yet sometimes in my agony I'm gonna duke it out myself. Color me stubborn.

It's akin to searching for hours for a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. You know it's shape, at least one side of it. You have an idea of colors. You have a FEEL for what you are looking for, and yet someone walks up to your puzzle board, lifts off the piece from the pile of misfits, and snaps it into place without thought. You are left unsatisfied. And why? Your puzzle is on the road to completion!

I dunno. I'm not the shrink. I just know sometimes we need help. Most times. But sometimes we have to come up with our own puzzle pieces. All by ourselves.

More Press for Widow's Row

2011-05-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

From staff writer: Steve Block
The Times Independent

Lala Corriere

Author: Widow’s Row

The novel has many twists and turns, but its suspenseful scenes are tempered by the easygoing, friendly atmosphere of the town [of Trinidad] where its drama unfolds. The novel has received excellent reviews and is available on Amazon.com. It has won praise from reviewers for its strong character development and interesting plot lines. Sidney Sheldon was critical in her development as a writer.

It's Showtime!

2011-02-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

The following is my guest post on Rasana Atreya's blog.
For anyone considering becoming a film producer for your own trailer, this information may shed some light to your cameras and action!

My thanks to Rasana for inviting me to chat with you today about my experience in producing my first video book trailer for my new release, Widow’s Row.

That should act as your first caveat. My experience is limited to one production. But I had a good team of advisors. Brandon Croy is a professional filmmaker in Denver, Colorado and Cameron Bruns is Vice President of an international marketing company. Like I said, I kept good company.

Let’s face it. Even with a big publishing house behind you, today’s authors are carrying the burden of their own promotion. The video book trailer has become an explosive tool in marketing books.

There is a maze of tutorials on the Web specific to Windows Movie Maker and this little guest blog is in no way an attempt at trying to replace their technical instructions. Most of these tips you read here should transcend well to any other movie-making program you use. These tips should make your experience with movie making grow ripe without aggravation.

Through my trial and error, here’s what you can learn from my mistakes:

Do invest the time to look at the tutorials. You’ll quickly learn how to incorporate the elements that will turn your book trailer into a professional piece of film, such as transitions and special effects.

Do make a study of the scores of book trailers already out there. Watch the ‘homemade’ trailers as well as those with big blockbuster budgets, including any new Big Screen teasers. Just as in the book business, trailers are subjective. Tune into your genre and your own voice and make your work a reflection of both. Evaluate your feedback, but tune out the naysayers!

I didn’t lay down my soundtrack first and this was a huge mistake. I wanted the images to be in sync with the varying beats of the music. Boom. Boom. Boom. Image. Image. Image. You get the idea. It’s far easier to lay down the audio and then drag the images into your storyboard and timeline once you have the soundtrack in place.

Music clips are available through various sites. Search under Royalty Free Music, but remember it probably isn’t going to be exactly free. There are usually membership fees involved, and maybe even small stipends per track. There are also plenty of talented musicians out there that would love to help you with your own recordings. Buddy up with your local bands.

Most of these sources for short sound clips are designed so that you can make your video exactly the length you want, but just like the commercials that grab your attention on TV, remember less is best. You can choose from several coordinated timed segments. Some will be 60 seconds, 30 seconds, and even less than ten seconds. Rhythm. Pacing. All key elements to your ‘commercial’.

Do get permissions for everything you use! There are sources for images on the web that are royalty free. Many of the photographers will request credit for use of their images. Double check. When seeking permissions I recommend doing it via email so that you have a permanent record of correspondence.

If you’re currently writing a manuscript, always wear your producer’s hat. What scenes are you developing that lend themselves to an image? Is it the rolling hills of Ireland? A chase scene? Fava beans and a nice glass of Chianti? Keep a journal of anything that might make for a good still or short video. It’s no time to place yourself in the critic’s corner. Jot down every possibility. I like a good mix of the mundane and the ordinary, paired with the outrageous and unexpected, but I write suspense. I want my final film product to be arcane in nature. If you write in other genres such as historical, literary, or romance, I would still suggest the idea of blending the familiar with the not so familiar. Keep your viewers engaged and guessing.

If you plan to use speaking actors or a voice-over narrator, the Window’s Movie Maker is designed to allow you to lay that audio directly over your music.

If you are the photographer, make sure your camera is set with the date stamp turned off. Sighing, here.

Now this part is no secret. You will read it elsewhere on the web. Unfortunately some of us have to learn the hard way. Save everything. Save every still and every video and every audio, separately. And while engaged with your program open, save your work and save it often.

So, friends, here’s my first video trailer, Widow’s Row.

Widow’s Row The Trailer 0001

What did you see? I’m a perfectionist and I’m crazy mad about my boo-boos. The most obvious is the red lettering in the church video clip. Having a little trouble reading it? That’s because I manipulated the video after inserting it and deleted the original file. Because I was stuck without the original, I was able to use the program to warp the imagery. Something to distract from the words you can’t read. Between you and me, I handle my film critics by claiming there is subliminal messaging in those words. LOL.

Did you notice the date stamp on the church still? Oops. And again, because I’d deleted the original and turned my movie into one single file, I was unable to remove the nasty yellow date stamp.

Give yourself time. And plenty of forgiveness. Remember this tool is a reflection of your book. Your name is on it. You’ve written and rewritten your book until it’s perfect. If you aren’t satisfied with your trailer, help is all around you.

And I leave you with my favorite tip of all. Have fun! Make mistakes. Start over. Start with a family movie or vacation memories.

Lala Corriere

Zara Larsen's Radio Show

2011-02-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

Lala Corriere

Lala Corriere of Tucson is the “The Mistress to Suspense,” a full time writer who shifted mid-life in 2001 from being a fine artist/painter, stage performer, interior designer and engaged in the high-end real estate industry. In Widow’s Row, her new self-published fiction book, she offers vivid descriptions of the most nefarious of characters. Lala’s stories include a redeeming social message, bringing readers to experience human conditions in ways with which they may not be familiar.www.lalacorriere.com February 16, 2011 21 minutes

2-19-2011 Podcast

The Zara Larsen Show

2011-02-21T22:55:00.000-08:00

Here's my profile up on the Zara Larsen website.

The podcast is not yet available, but I'll be posting that link soon!

Thanks for listening!

Lala Corriere

Lala Corriere of Tucson is the “The Mistress to Suspense,” a full time writer who shifted mid-life in 2001 from being a fine artist/painter, stage performer, interior designer and engaged in the high-end real estate industry. In Widow’s Row, her new fiction book, she offers vivid descriptions of the most nefarious of characters. Lala’s stories include a redeeming social message, bringing readers to experience human conditions in ways with which they may not be familiar.www.lalacorriere.com February 16, 2011 21 minutes

Zara Larsen's Circle of Change

2011-02-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

I hope you'll tune in this Saturday, tomorrow, for my guest spot on Zara Larsen's Circle of Change.

You can listen in live at www.1041thetruth.com
1:00 PM EST.

Or look for the audio at www.Thelarsengroup.com

I'll be talking about my new release, Widow's Row, and more about my writer's journey!

C'ya there!

A Diva, a Thug, & a Private Dick All Walk Into a Bar...

2011-02-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Got character?

Oh, man. I'm so pleased with my comments and reviews coming in for Widow's Row. How fun to see them from strangers, which BTW are simply friends I haven't met yet!

Hmmm, I say. The best feedback seems to be about my characters.

Here's what I know:

Do your character interviews. EVERY character. Even the postman who always rings twice. Know them well enough that you dream about them!
Use dialogue true to your character. Even if you don't like it. If your character would say that icky word that starts with a C, and of course if your publishing house guidelines allow, then USE the C word.
More about true dialogue. "You've got...." is horrible English. But guess what? We say it! You've Got Mail!
Dichotomies. Characters are complex. Good people do bad things. Bad people have soft sides. Smart people do very dumb things. You get the idea. Give your characters dimension.
More than dimension, give every character meat. Imagine that you are writing a screenplay. What does your casting agent have to work with? What have you given the actor to sink his teeth into so that he becomes this character? Think of Al Pacino in The Scent of a Woman. Novelist Giovanni Arpino and screenwriter Bo Goldman gave Pacino so much character that he ad-libbed the famous 'who-ahhh'. Would we all be so lucky for Mr. Pacino to enhance our work.

Guest Blogging

2011-01-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here's my motivational quote for the new year:

"Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a
rowboat and taking the tartar sauce with you."

— Zig Ziglar

First, thank you all for your concerns over the recent tragedy in Tucson. We are sad, but safe.

Second, you might ask where have I been. Why so quiet?

Sales for Widow's Row have been overwhelming. Another round of THANKS to you! And thanks for spreading the news by word of mouth. Because of your referrals I'm now realizing new readers; friends I've never met yet!

Meanwhile I've guest posted about 'the journey' at these locations:

Peg Brantley's blog at: http://suspensenovelist.blogspot.com/

And Jenny Milchman at http://www.jennymilchman.com/blog/?cat=6

I hope you can spare a moment to learn more about the writer's journey.

Today I wish you a sturdy rowboat.

Widow's Row The Trailer 0001

2010-11-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

emergence

2010-11-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Butterfly is Free!

The cocoon, top right, opened to release a magnificent

Giant Swallowtail butterfly.

And so it is that I announce the release of my new novel

Widow's Row.

click here and buy your copy!

Don’t own a Kindle?
You can download the safe and free Amazon reader at:

For PC Users: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

For Mac Users: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_mac_mkt_lnd?docId=1000464931

Books will load directly to your computer. You can also download them to your Smartphone.

I will appreciate it if you will forward this to your friends
& ask them to
forward it to their friends!

Love it? Please rate it for me! Amazon ratings are important to me.
Don’t love it? Send me an email and let me know your thoughts.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

My deepest gratitude, & Happy Thanksgiving!
Lala

The Metamorphosis Begins

2010-11-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

My hideous Orange Dog caterpillar has morphed into his cocoon. You can see him in the lower right screen hanging from fine threads of is own weaving.

As it with the release of Widow's Row.
It's brewing. Growing. Morphing. And sort of hiding in camouflage right now.
And yes, it feels like I'm hanging upside down by a few threads these last few days.

I'm blessed I have so many friends and family to catch me when I emerge.

To Evolve, You Must Begin

2010-10-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

'Insist on yourself. Never imitate.'

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Orange Dog is evidence of Mother Nature's sense of humor. Take a peek at this hideous prehistoric looking thing! He is feeding on the leaves of my lemon tree, which already struggles like Charlie Brown's sorry Christmas tree. At first I thought it was a fungal growth on the tree, but then I noticed its beady eyes staring at me. When I dared to encroach on his territory the orange horns (osmeterium) emerged and he let out a ghastly stink bomb!

Here's the amazing part. This guy will evolve into the breathtaking Giant Swallowtail butterfly!

While you begin your art as a writer, a painter, a doctor or Indian chief, your work will imitate life. This is the way.

What isn’t the way is to let your work imitate your self.

When you are true to self your work will evolve. This is nature’s way. You will grow. Learn. Live. Flourish.

Your ugly will become beautiful.

And one more thought.

Know when you have your butterfly. Write ‘the end’. Put your paints away. Draw up that contract.

Today I wish you lessons from Mother Nature.

Passion

2010-09-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Laura Williamson, Charron Vineyards, is a Master Sommelier here in Southern Arizona. Read her following quote and insert your work, your labor of love, your passion—inside my parentheses.

“Even though [winemaking] appears a simple measure…it is certainly one of the most tedious, unforgiving passions that can either fulfill or exhaust one’s desires.”

Wow. I love those words! Isn’t it so true for all of us that have found our passion in work? A writer would not write without passion. Sure, reporters are assigned stories they could give a rat about, and some fiction writers are persuaded into a story line that will sell rather than one that stirs their hearts, but writing is, by its nature, a labor of love. It isn’t glamorous. We sit alone at a keyboard for hour after hour but not counting, and the only thing in real time we recognize is that the necessity of eating and going to the bathroom becomes an annoying interruption.

Did you know that less than one percent of all persons that say they are going to write a book actually finish it?

I wish you a passion that will both fulfill and exhaust you.

Arizona Skylight. by lala corriere

LalaCorriere

http://www.lalacorriere.com

New character Interviews coming soon @ http://twitter.com/lalacorriere/

Debut release of Widow's Row coming soon!

Reading, Writing, & Mythmatic

2010-08-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It's the letter I use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz. You'll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond 'Z' and start poking around! ~ Dr. Seuss

The definition of READING: The dictionary says it’s the act or practice of a reader.

Simple enough!

Notes to self: Read. A lot.

The definition of WRITING: The dictionary says it’s language characters written or imprinted on readable matter.

Simple enough!

Notes to self: Write. A lot.

The definition of MYTHMATICS: Lala says it’s the art and science of fiction and it is not to be defied.

Simple enough!

Notes to self: Forget about the NYC super-agent who told me the setting for my manuscript, Widow’s Row, was ... “Ludicrous. No small town would have that kind of thing". She added, “Not in this world.” Well, as it so happens my manuscript is set in the actual sleepy southern Colorado town of Trinidad, known widely as the “sex change capitol of the world”. This is fact, and in my book of fiction. And the reason she rejected Widow’s Row.

I’m not writing historical fiction where my facts have to be correct, down to the very brand of shoelaces young women wore on their lace-up boots in the Victorian Era. But of course I wouldn’t use a real town and brand it something it is not.

What I see in the publishing industry is exciting! Writers are finding their voices and writing what they want to write, AND getting their work published. Is it good enough? Time will tell. The numbers won’t be fictional.

I guess my ranting is about the one true fact that fiction should be fun. It’s where you get to lie and make stuff up!

Today I wish you a little bit of make-believe!

Debut release of Widow's Row coming soon!

A Case of the DTB's!

2010-07-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

“Keep your mind open
to change all the time.
Welcome it.
Court it.
It is only by examining
and reexamining
your opinions
and ideas
that you can progress.” —Dale Carnegie

It’s not something you come down with quickly, this case of DTB’s. Rather, it develops over years.

I have a case. I suspect you have a case. And although we love our DTB’s, somehow they’re getting an image problem.

DTB’s—Dead Tree Books. Yup. That’s what the Kindlers and other e-reader fans call our beloved leather bound books. And don’t even ask the Green Team what they call the zillions of paper pages that line our mahogany bookshelves.

On my last blog I wrote about the increasing rapidity factor in dialogue, scene and plot delivery. Now let’s look at our world and the entertainment industry.

‘Stop the presses!’ no longer means there’s breaking news. Today the presses just stop. Two-newspaper cities are almost obsolete. Magazines have either folded or acquiesced to the demands for a complete online presence. Cable and satellite companies are scrambling to be the quickest provider of instant-download movies. Is a nanosecond too slow?

And Amazon made the announcement just this week. With an original goal to outsell all other booksellers in the world, it seems Amazon itself might have been surprised that they are now selling more digital print books than hardcovers.

Here’s what Jessica Strawser, editor of Writer’s Digest, has to say about technology in general: “Regularly, WD Interview subjects debated in earnest the merits of the pen versus the keys. Eventually, they skeptically began to ponder the invention of word processors. Later, they wondered whether this new Internet thing might be here to stay.”

Here is a link to the Amazon story in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/technology/20kindle.html

And for writers, here’s a Wall Street Journal cover story about digital printing success:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704912004575253132121412028.html?KEYWORDS=mcquestion

What does this mean for you and me? It means we have plenty of good books to read!

Today I wish you time to read.

Not a Moment to Spare

2010-06-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

'If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.'

~Isaac Asimov

The world is speeding up. This much I know.

Remember when you could read a book and muddy your way through a third of it without much of a hook? We trusted the author and we read on, knowing we would finally get to the meat of things.

When I first started writing professionally the name of the game was the first five pages. Nab the guts of your reader in your opening pages or you’re doomed. [The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman, is still a must read for any writer.]

The game changed again. Soon it became clear that you had only the first page. Then the first few paragraphs. Dare I say the challenge has become hooking your reader in the first couple of sentences? I think it’s a safe observation.

I’m guilty of purple prose. It’s impossible for me to forego all of my adjectives and I blame it on my interior design background. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. But I’m careful. Really, I am. I try to let my readers use their imaginations to fill in the details. Show. Don’t tell.

Examine the example the world is showing us. Listen to the pattern of speech. It’s fast. It’s clipped. It’s verbal shorthand. LOL.

Is your writing of dialogue current? Ranting and woes and old ladies with knitting needles may tend to rattle on, but many conversations of today are brief, abrupt, and interrupted.

The introduction of the Vook is yet another example of a speeded-up delivery system.

I don’t wake up each day and follow Isaac Asimov’s mantra of writing faster. Quite the opposite. I get it down on paper. That’s a good start. But a reread usually shows me my masterpiece is nothing but silly dough and finger paint. Dissection begins. Does each scene carry my story forward? Is the paragraph necessary? Is the sentence integral? The very word?

Today I wish you the right write words.

Learn More About Vooks

2010-05-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your comments and questions regarding VOOKS.
Here's a great link for a quick look at this growing trend:

http://promo.simonandschuster.com/vook/

Writing Rapture

2010-05-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

“We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about.”

-Joseph Campbell Author, Editor, Philosopher & Teacher, 1904-1987

Previously I wrote about life’s light bulb moments. Today, their Grande Papa…Rapture. Getting lost in the moment. For hours.

When is it that you lose track of all time? For me it is often when I’m deep into my writing mode, both fiction and non-fiction. Sometimes I feel I have been writing for an hour only to look up at the clock to see that three or four hours have passed. In a blink.

A page-turning book can do it. Currently I’m reading some Dennis Lehane, an old Mary Higgins Clark, and Patricia Cornwell. Occasionally I’ll become totally absorbed in an art project. Often it happens when my husband and I are sitting outside shooting the breeze, a ritual for us. This is pretty much amazing in that we’ve been shooting the breeze together for over 25 years!

Time is an odd thing, isn’t it? It’s an innate condition of our planet that we can’t ignore. Deadlines are to be met, dates and appointments are to be honored, and sleep must be respected and attended.

As a writer I am blessed. I do something I love. I have passion in my life.

Today I wish you time to think about your rapture experiences. And, once you’ve identified them, I wish you time to go get lost in your rapture.

Convening With Nature

2010-05-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about the inspiration derived from nature and the need to convene with nature. This is NOT what I had in mind!

Look for my post later today... Writing Rapture. We will not be talking Gila Monsters.

Hooked on Vooks?

2010-04-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.

—Edward Thorndike

Putting aside all debate on bookstores & libraries over e-publishing & electronic readers, the only sure thing we know is we must adjust to change. It’s not in the air; it’s in the lightning-speed shockwaves of our delivery systems. The metronome of the communications world seems to be on a cocktail of crack, Adderall, and steroids. Ask any kid. Emails take too long these days for those with nimble fingers able to text out their messages in nano-seconds.

Enter the Vook. High concept and arguably the next wave of story-telling, the Vook brings us the opportunity to read and watch at the same time. While reading online text, the user is able to click on high quality video at any time, as it relates to the story.

The advantage in the non-fiction category is obvious. Instructions can be illustrated so that the viewer can SEE the how-to exercise program, they can read the recipes, then see what their finished meal is supposed to look like when plated at the table, they can enter the boardroom, the courtroom, or the classroom, and experience the development of trendsetting thought through graphics and virtual blackboards.

For fiction, the Vook adds another dynamic. Reading becomes a true sensory experience. Imagine highlighting key moments in your manuscript with sound and color that explodes off the screen. Scenes elapsed by time are easily and quickly depicted with rising suns and fading light. Settings, once necessary and time-consuming to describe and often bordering on purple prose, are now instantaneous. This just may be the ultimate answer for the writer battling that age old rule… Show. Don’t Tell!

If you’re interested, Simon and Schuster has a good page on Vooks. Check it out at http://promo.simonandschuster.com/vook/

While we brace for the future of publishing and communication, all this speed, all this business of more and more information delivered faster and faster, can at times be dizzying to the soul.

This weekend we received a beautiful handwritten thank you note from a recent houseguest, via the good old USPS. Breaking open the seal on the envelope caused me pause. This had impact. This was happiness on paper.

Today I hope you’ll explore the arrival of the Vook, and I also wish you a good old-fashioned card, hand-written, in your mailbox. If you don’t receive one, send one. You’ll be amazed how good it makes you feel.

Light Bulb Moments

2010-04-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

—W. Somerset Maugham

We all have them. Aha moments. Epiphanies. Breakthrough out-of-the-box thinking.

We break the code, come up with an untold story, or finally just ‘get it’.

A lot of what writers write about writing is overwritten. Much has to do with writer’s block. All is well-intended guidance, but the pieces of advice I find most valuable are about staging and observing.

If I need to write a dark scene I set MY scene, first. I shroud myself in darkness. The music might by George Crumb’s Lux Aeterna. The ambient lighting is austere. If it’s a lusty sex scene to write, the candles are lit [even in daylight] and I might choose the sultry notes of Ravel’s Bolero to fill the air. Staging is a valuable tool in order to feel and live the scene before you write it. Music and lighting are a good start, but think about all the senses you have, because when you write, you want to WRITE all the senses.

The second profound bit of advice is to always keep your notepad, be it loose leaf paper or electronic device, within reach, then get yourself out in our world. For people-watching, head for an airport, a coffeehouse, or a crowded beach, and just plain eavesdrop. Maybe you'll only walk away with a unique name you overhear, or a good title for a plot unknown. Sometimes, Holy Moly, you’ll walk away with a well-rounded character, a full scene, or even an entire outline. For me, another important element in getting out into the world is to get out alone. Find quiet and solitude. Convene with nature. Just be. You’ll see!

I found myself troubled to read an interview with Sue Grafton, upon nearing the end of her alphabet series. She’s likely to name her last book, “Z is for Zero”. [Writer’s Digest, Feb, 2010] How sad. I’m sure it’s not writer’s block, per se, as much as dealing with the pressure of turning out 26 books. Grafton is known for her dry wit, and much to her credit her newly released Undertow is some of her best work, but still…

With or without deadlines, remind yourself that the filament is always attached. The light bulb is forever connected to the omniscient source of creativity. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of nourishment and effort to pull the switch.

Today I wish you a shatterproof light bulb, promising you effervescent light, and the shadows that come with it.

Just Be. You’ll See.

A Isn't Always About Apples

2010-03-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

"The most important things are the hardest to say,
because words diminish them." — Stephen King

How are those New Year resolutions working for you?

Here’s a quick exercise I developed to help me stay on my writing path. It also helps me stay on my ‘me’ path. With repeated use I:

• Stay on track with progress

• Identify roadblocks

• Document the inevitable evolution of goals

• Evaluate my platform, strengths & weaknesses

• Solidify my visions & values

• Understand ‘ME’ and my journey

Lala’s Ladder is simple to climb!

Identify the area in your life you would like to explore. It might be your career, your marriage/relationship, your financial or physical well-being.
Write out the letters of the alphabet, single-spaced. twice.
Take your first alphabet list. Using the area you identified in step one, go through the alphabet [I encourage you to do this quickly] and assign the first word that comes to mind starting with the letter A, B, C... Write down all the good stuff. What you value and are trying to achieve.
Take your second sheet and write down your No-No's as they relate to your focus area.
Date and save your answers.
When the time is right for you—in a month, this summer, next year... do your alphabet words again BEFORE looking at your saved history. What has changed? What is currently on your mind, and what stands the test of all time for YOU?

No rules. Add sentences, alliterations, or multiple words as you like. It’s YOUR list.

Here’s a quick peak at my latest relationship ladder. JK! Here’s the start of my writer’s ladder:

My Good Alphabet

A Accuracy

B Boldly [go where no man has gone before]

C Cutting edge

D Determination

E Editing, evermore

My No-No Alphabet:

A Anonymity. Get myself into the scene or I can’t take my readers with me.

B Buts

C Criticism

D Delusions of Dialogue. Make it real.

E Ego. Get rid of it.

You get the idea.

Admittedly, X’s are tricky. I’ve heard rumor Sue Grafton is still hoping there will be a new crime that starts with X by the time she gets to it in her Alphabet Series. The only X words on my list are the good: Xanadu, and bad: Xeno, which is a good word for me when writing suspense. Go figure.

Golden Storms

2009-12-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

Last evening I sat in awe of the setting sun. Shrouding the mountains, inky menacing storm clouds commanded the northern sky. Twilight came consumed in darkness.
Until I really looked.
And then I saw.

The setting sun cast filtering golden streams of light. The glint of yellow lined the blackness. It presented itself in layers, both in front of the dark ominous clouds, and beyond them. It lived, symbiotic within the storm. It wasn’t bright. It didn’t pop off [the page].

Nature is in conflict.

Life is in conflict.

A good read is in conflict. Evil and goodness coexist as do despair and hope. Under the scrutiny of those who see, they will be in every scene.

For 2010 I wish you
the full vision in your first version,
and winnowed vision in your final version.
Merry Christmas to you & yours!

'Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.'
-Edward Thorndike-

John Hancock and The Kindle

2009-12-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

Who can forget the elegant penmanship of John Hancock, as evidenced by his famous signature on the Declaration of Independence?

The art of calligraphy has gone the way of the windmill, except for a few formal invitations one might receive each year. Kids graduating college can hardly write. I know my own printing and cursive skills have deteriorated to mere chicken scratches to make room for the keyboard.

A good friend, the director of the music department at the University of Arizona, equates the loss to something like our children growing up in a world changed from analog to digital sound. Many will never hear a ‘real’ note played.

And reading? Librarians confirm that fewer and fewer children are checking out books. The publishing industry has been snubbing and resisting the inevitable, kicking and screaming all the way into their own red books. And the debate is a worthy one. The Kindle and its relatives are certainly more inviting when it comes time to move your 1,500 book library. And you don’t have to run out in the morning rain to pick up your soggy paper. You can instantly look up words, translate paragraphs, and highlight. Heck, now you don’t even have to read your books. They’ll read to you.

The argument? Let’s talk about the senses.

Olfactory comes to mind first. We won’t smell the rich tang of leather and yellowed papers in an electronic reader library.

Moving on to vision. They say the new generations offer glare-free viewing. Outside, in the desert or with blinding sun on snow? [Although everyone can agree the optional enlarged print is nifty if you’re fifty!]

Touch is easy. If we argue that lighter is better come moving day, what about weight being better, just because? The feel of that leather, and the sometimes crimping binding. Soft gilded or sawn edges of the pages. Dog ears. REAL dog ears that pop up.

I’ve mentioned you can have your books and newspapers read to you, so will young parents drop their Kindles off at their toddler’s bedside to read them a story?

Next comes taste. And I guess it really is a matter of just that. Where would John Hancock stand?

Gotta go. I’m running low on batteries. Is that a problem, anyone?

Memory Mountain

2009-11-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

Every man's memory is his private literature. ~Aldous Huxley

I'm submerged in memories today. When writing, I must rely on memories to get at real emotion. Joy, shock, love, rage, hurt, pain. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Many years ago, I decided to create what I call Memory Mountain. Each side of the mountain is built-up with good memories on one side, and the bad on the other. Every time I have a flashback that stirs me, I put it on the mountain. If my mountain starts looking more like a cliff, it's time for me to push myself to build up the other side. I share this with you because I think it is a great tool for everyone, especially if we find ourselves having little pity parties. It works equally well when our bubbles get too big.

My characters must have memories in order to live. It's my job, before writing 'Once upon a time', to climb their Memory Mountain. Stamina and fallibility coexist, as do perfection and flaws, goodness and evil. We are humans, and my characters are humans, too. They are multi-dimensional. Think about the Tooth Fairy [played by Ralph Fiennes] in the movie Red Dragon. [Adapted from the novel by Thomas Harris] He's an insane and ruthless killer, and yet he takes the blind Reba [Emily Watson] to 'see' the sedated tiger. We are plucked from his evil world and into the poignant moment as Reba strokes the tiger's lush coat, touches his cold, moist nose, and feels the power of his rib cage.

What does your Memory Mountain look like? Is it a cliff or a rolling hillside? Maybe it's in 3-D, with several layers of peaks, valleys, and plateaus.

"Our bad memories our like land mines. Unfortunately, we are the ones that step on them. Over and over again." ~Lala Corriere

I wish you to walk upon plenty of cotton candy.

Writing to a Market

2009-10-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

My opinion. Don't.

Upon the sage advice of a well-respected agent, I invested over a year in writing to the series market. He liked the protagonist I created. I liked her, too. And publishing houses like series.

Several well read authors follow the series blueprint successfully. Clive Cussler has Dirk Pitt. For James Patterson, it's his detective Alex Cross, and Janet Evanovich writes Stephanie Plum.

The second manuscript in my to-be series featuring the same protagonist has only one slight problem. It sits, unfinished.

I use the tool of character boards. I have a plot in mind, and maybe even a detailed story outline, but before I can proceed to write a single page I must first have intimate knowledge of the characters I'm writing about. I have to love them and hate them before I can share them with my readers, or they aren't going to love them and hate them. I need to know my characters so that my readers can see, hear and touch them as I do. It has taken you a long time to find the forever-friendships in your life. You have spent years growing these friendships into a deeper existence of 'Namasté' . I need to speed things up a bit.

The process goes like this. First, I paste a barrage of photograph clippings from old magazines that closely resemble the physical attributes of each character. Then I interview each character, even secondary ones. I need to know where they went to school, where they've lived, what they graduated in, what their hobbies are, and what they like for dinner. I drill down further. I learn their quirks, their regrets, their nightmares and dreams. I need to know despicable things about the sweetest girl in class. Only then have I dug deep enough to discover the authenticity of GMC [goal, motivation, and conflict].

It doesn't take long to discover your enemies, does it? But to truly understand their GMC, the writer must treat them with the same amount of authentic intimacy. Sometimes that means finding a thread of tenderness in evil.

The parting of ways with a beloved or despised character is always bittersweet. But, as when I moved from my home state of Colorado, I took my beloved friends with me in my heart and soul, and all of what is me. Namasté .

'No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.'

-Robert Frost-

For me, I lose an element of surprise and emotion when I continue with the same characters facing new sagas.

Then again, there's my second humble opinion. Never say never.

The Critic and the Creative

2009-10-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to bite off the hand that feeds me. This blog is not about dissing critics and reviewers. Believe me, I have a boatload of my own not-so-humble opinions that I’m happy to divulge, and oddly, not everyone agrees with me.

Critics and reviewers have their place, rightfully. Judgment raises its voice every day, in the art world, the cinema, and in every written word. Even your inner critique engages you when you make your choice. Will it be Rice Crispies or Cocoa Puffs?

One of my manuscripts went before several ‘outside professional reviewers’. One person wrote, “I would read anything by this author”. Another wrote that he couldn’t get through my first chapter of crap. Hard to believe they were reading the same material!

It’s curious to me, this large percentage of C&R’s that have never pitched their own finished creations. Because they have none!
It’s curious to me, what power they yield. A critic sees a red vertical line painted on a black canvas and says it’s crap, but when he sees the red horizontal line on a black canvas, he knights it as genius. A star is born. Stephen King received the following critique/rejection for his bestselling novel, Carrie: “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”

I was lucky. My mother and father both fostered my creativity. I would run to them and say, ‘Look what I did’, and always, I did GREAT! Imagine my surprise when I found out that some of what I did was crap.
To take a blank canvas and turn it into emotion, that’s the hard work. Hard work is taking an empty stage and creating life, and turning a ream of paper into comedy and tragedy.

For you, today, I wish creativity. Perhaps it’s the rock you position in your garden, just right. Maybe its adding a few lines to the store-bought greeting card you send out. Perhaps creativity is only a glimpse of inspiration today, that stirs you when you take a hard look at a crooked tree in silhouette with the inky skyline. You may not go home and paint it. You may not journal about your sighting. But your heart , somewhere down in there, has taken notes, and if you listen to it, may it sing.

Oh yeah. I still wait in judgment.

My Mom's Fridge

2009-08-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

'Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.'

-Helen Keller-

Mom passed away last year. I'll spare you the details. No, I won't. She died 15 months, 30 days, 16 hours ago. My husband says I do grief real well.

I've moved on with my memories. Some good. Some bad.

I woke up this morning thinking about my mom's fridge.

Every cubic inch spewed with surprises. Leftovers of hearty meatloaf, potato salad, and jammed-in pizza boxes. A sticky bottle of maraschino cherries. Ingredients of churned butter, whipping cream, and eggs begging to go into Mom's hands, with a cupful of sugar, and baked into a mouth-watering pie. A spray can of whipped topping sometimes fell into my mouth before the pie was done.

Also inside, some bad surprises. Green blotchy cheese. Stinky trout with their heads still on, their eyes reflecting their last vision of certain death. And speaking of eyes, Mom would store cauliflowerettes in a tub of water. They didn't look like anything from our vegetable garden. I knew for certain they were disintegrating eyeballs!

I had the normal childhood. No pony for my birthday, but no dead bodies in the backyard, either.

In the opening quote Helen Keller infers we must endure the bad in order to become the good. As a writer of suspense I am constantly delving deep into my past, real and imagined, in order to bring a third, matrix-like dimension to the blank page. Keller's simple but poignant statement calls out to me to reign through each character, each setting, all dialogue and the absence of it.

It's an ominous and exciting challenge. I am inspired by Keller to see more than the eyes can bare witness.

Hurry Up & Wait!

2009-07-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

This frustrating phrase is never more true than in the publishing industry.

I once wrote an article about a 44 year old woman. To be fair, I was warned by my editor not to include anything that would time-stamp the material. The finished article was immediately approved for publication by the magazine. We waited 9 months to see it hit the stands. Upon reviewing it I noticed that my words had been changed to read 'a woman in her forties'. I guess even my editor wasn't sure when it would run.

Now I wait with one of my full manuscripts in the hands of what I believe is my dream-team literary agency.

I wait as they read every word. Interpret every space of white. For seasoned pros much of it is instinct, I'm sure, but they all use a similar rating system, if you will: Originality. Setting. Characters. Dialogue. Plot. Oh yeah, and quality of writing, too. Go figger!

This isn't exactly true in non-fiction books where you can pre-sell on an outline, assuming you have a strong platform. I've considered writing a non-fiction but I don't think it's for me. I like to lie and make shit up.

Oh, one more thing, I have a potty mouth that translates, I think rather well, to the written page. There are rules on that, too. More, later.

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug." ___Mark Twain

Show, Don't Tell!

2009-06-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

This blog is about a writer’s life. Mine, in particular.
Today I’m stumbling. Not writer’s block. Social etiquette.
Today I speak for writers one and all!
Have you ever asked your professor how much money he earned last year? How about your favorite grocery clerk? Your clergyman? Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief?
Why, oh why, does everyone want to know how much money a writer makes? Are they planning on writing the next great world-class novel, becoming an agent, or competing in the freelance market? Maybe they just want us to pick up the lunch tab.
They want to know if we are serious writers. When they see us out and about they deduce we're not working and therefore writing must be a hobby. If they don’t see us out and about they assume we’ve become recluses. Does The Shining come to mind?

I think Burton Rascoe, famous for his quotes with good reason, said it best.
“What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he’s staring out of the window.”

Hard to get paid by the hour for that.

Thank my lucky stars my husband understands. And it can't be easy!

BTW, I shop at Walmart and Neiman Marcus.

The 'M' Word

2009-06-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

OK, guys, chill out! I'm not talking Marriage here. 'M' is for marketing.

But writers protest. 'Not me, I'm an artiste. Marketing is so bourgeois. Boring. Bothersome.'
Move over, ego. Get humble, get real, and get busy!

Everybody has something to sell. Shrinks sell hours with a lick, a promise, and serious pharmaceuticals. Garbage men sell out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Churches sell redemption.
The fact isn't going away. If you're going to succeed you need to sell. The sticky icky part is that you're selling your talent, true or imagined. That annoying little detail quickly rises to the top of the quicksand of procrastination.

I published an article on an extraordinarily successful living artist. An oxymoron at its finest. “Obviously he’s a huge talent," says a collector. "He doesn't hesitate to promote his work"..."in this competitive market you can’t sit around and wait to be discovered." Full article link below.

Is it beyond your comfort zone, this marketing? Probably. Johnny Mathis sings it best in my all-time favorite song, Arianne. '...what a writer has to feel like when suddenly he's discovered he's been read.' To listen to the lyrics see link below.

We are our commodity. Some will embrace our driven souls. Some will scoff. All will know we're up at bat!

My pitch today? I'm tweeting a character interview. Find me on Twitter @ lalacorriere.

http://www.tucsonlifestyle.com/index.php?category=Home%20and%20Garden&ref=HG_RegionalArtisan_Nov07&src=gendocs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiOEOETObTs

Let's Get Cereus!

2009-05-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of advice from sage publishing industry gurus. Some tell us writers to find our own unique voice. Others say to get commercial. Write stuff that pisses people off. Write stuff that shocks people. Write stuff that pisses people off and shocks them.
A highly touted New York agent once told me he loved my writing but wasn’t sold on the story. His equal in California said she loved my story but wasn’t ‘swept away’ by my writing. Same manuscript. What do I do? Write in a conforming genre to please agent number one, or change my writing voice to appease agent number two?
Get serious! I’m taking my lead from nature. Roses are aromatic long bloomers on the bush, but wilt quickly when cut. Growers found success in producing a rose with a wider, stronger stem, but the manipulation had its price. The roses were no longer fragrant.

Tonight is pure magic in the Sonoran Desert. It’s the Night Bloom. Occurring only one night each year, the magnificent Night Blooming Cereus Cactus unfolds and puts on its show. Tomorrow, except for the efforts of gifted photographers and inspired artists’ hands, their beauty is gone for another year. What keeps us longing for this fleeting beauty, and why do we tend the plant so carefully for a year when we know its gift is so short-lived?
I think the Night Bloom writes its own story, and it tells us that story in its own special way.

So what do I do about agent number one and agent number two? I’m cereusly thinking about cloning them together.

The New Web is Up!

2009-05-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

My new website is up. There are a few WYSIWYG glitches but frankly I'm sick of being a computer-tech-wanna-be and back to my writing, where I can better manipulate my outcomes.

I do hope you'll check me out at http://www.lalacorriere.com/

Memorial Day has come and gone and we're off and running toward a wonderful, and oh yes, hot desert summer.

I wonder how many people REMEMBER today.

How many still have the Christmas spirit?

The Master of Suspex?

2009-05-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

It's pretty easy word-math.

Suspense. That's what I write.
Suspects. That's that list of possible bad boys. And girls.
Sex. That's what I write and my husband has fun editing.

=

SUSPEX!

My Letter of Recommendation

2009-05-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'd like to share the letter of recommendation I received from my former literary agent. I'm hoping to find THE BEST agent representing suspense/romantic elements!

Lala

~ MENZA-BARRON ~
The Claudia Menza & Manie Barron Agency
511 avenue of the americas, #51, NEW YORK, NY 10011
(212) 889-6850
manie@menzabarron.com

April 21, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to recommend to you author Lala Corriere.

In this challenging economy I have decided to streamline my author representation by focusing on my areas of expertise, African American and literary authors.

Unfortunately I have authors who do not fit this profile. Ms. Corriere is one of those talents. She writes romantic suspense. Editors I work with have likened her writing to that of Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. Ms. Corriere has also earned the respect and a highly favorable quote from Sidney Sheldon.

I urge you to take a serious look at Ms. Corriere’s compelling writing. I feel certain there is a place in this market for her talent.

Ms. Corriere has record of the editors and comments on the submissions I made on her behalf. This will serve as notice to you that our mutual author/agent representation is no longer valid.

Sincerely,
Manie Barron
Menza Barron Agency

Here I am!

2009-05-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

My guru marketing son finally convinced me it was time to start blogging. I kept thinking there were too many blogs and too little time. But I've been asked by enough avid readers & writers, and nudged by those in the know, until I was pushed off my little twig.

Now, if you'll join me, let's soar together as I share a writer's life with you. We'll look at some of my most popular characters, antagonists and protagonists! You'll see how wicked my mind can be and why I keep listening to a CD, 101 Ways to Commit Murder, over and over again. You'll see the rocky road and tough spine it will take to get published. Less than one percent of persons that say they are going to write a book actually FINISH it! But, alas, that's the easy part. It's like giving birth to a baby. Now that you have it, the work has only begun, and so has the joy, the nurturing, and the love!

Today I'll share with you what most already know. Last year was the worst year in my life. I shut down. I could barely focus enough to write emails to my closest inner circle of family and friends.

But that is behind me and I vow never to do this [to myself] again.

I am like a candle. All writers are, I should think.

If there is no flame, the candle is still a candle. True to its nature. Its purpose. The core of its being stands ready to be lit afire. But it can only bring mesmerizing intrigue and enchantment when two things happen. Always. It must be set afire. And the flame must be witnessed. This then fullfills its simple purpose. Its destiny.

BTW, for those whom frequent my website, it is slowly being revamped but a lot of its content will be posted here.

Next up I'll share an amazing letter of recommendation I have as I begin my search for a new literary agent.

My candle is lit. Come fly with me!

Lala