Forcing Creativity into a Single Channel

I've been at World Fantasy Convention this weekend. That's us at dinner last night - my agent Connor Goldsmith of Fuse Literary, Jennifer Udden and Amy Boggs of Donald Mass Literary Agency, Rena Bunder Rossner Literary/Foreign Rights Agent at The Deborah Harris Agency and fellow writer Rick Lipman. It's been a whirl, of course, and really wonderful overall.

I also got to hang with current and former Word Whores - James Moore, Linda Robertson and Allison Pang.

But it's funny to contemplate at this moment, as I sit in the hotel lobby on Sunday morning, after being in the bar last night talking to people past 1:30 - and people are stopping by to chat and say goodbye - what else I do creatively besides write.

Because I'm pretty sure talking in the bar doesn't count.

Also, if I were at home, I would pull out my photograph album of various projects and scan them in to show you how I used to do things like make quilts. I made a king-sized wedding ring quilt in expanding shades of green. I also made a watercolor quilt and used to make custom baby quilts. That was just one kick among many hobbies, but quilting stands out in my mind because I very deliberately gave it up.

In order to write.

It seems like a silly thing, because obviously those activities aren't in direct opposition. Still, as I struggled to move myself into a creative habit of producing words regularly, I found that I'd practice various avoidance techniques by starting other projects. So I went cold turkey and put all of my quilting supplies away.

I can see that, one day, I'll sew again, just as I'll garden more and maybe get back into drawing and painting.

It was the right choice because it worked. As if I had to close off those other avenues to force my energy and creativity into the one path. Kind of like increasing the water pressure to clear and open those pipes.

But those are gorgeous quilts.

Ten Warning Signs that a Series Needs to End Already

Good morning Word-Whoredom! I'm writing this from gloomy Toronto, where I've been attending the World Fantasy Convention, with sister whores Allison Pang and Linda Robertson. In a most-convenient stroke of serendipity, Ellora's Cave just happened to have a booth going at the Everything to do with Sex Show downtown. Last night I went and signed a bunch of cover flats for Feeding the Vampire and Hunting the Siren. Wild, enthusiastic and occasionally drunken readers. Total antithesis to the WFC crowd.

Both have been great experiences.

This week's theme is signs a series needs to end. Because I'm running a little low on time, I'm going for bullet points on this one.

Signs a Series Needs To End

1. Your heroine is running out of strange, new and exotic creatures to do the nasty with.

2. Your fans fondly recall Book 10 as the last one that made any sense at all.

3. You're having trouble maintaining a believable love triangle because you can't find a nursing home that allows co-habitation.

4. You've run out of additional super-powers to grant your heroine.

5. If, after eight books, your characters have still not reached the destination they set out for in
Book 1.

6. You've publicly announced that you were done writing the series three books ago, but couldn't resist the money the publisher offered.

7. You're now writing about the continuing exploits of your original heroine's great-grandchildren.

8. The original author's name no longer appears anywhere on the cover.

9. You're less concerned with whether your heroine is becoming a monster than in finding any human qualities at all.

10. If your series is recognized by anyone reading this list.

Why yes - I do plan to revisit this list throughout my writing career!