Passive Voice

Every writer knows that using passive voice is a no no. So why do I keep doing it in my story? Is it symbolic of my inner world? Am I feeling powerless? Am I unable to control myself? Am I actually a passive and ineffectual person? Can I not bring change to my self, to my writing, to my world?

Ah ha. There's the issue.

Late last night, just before I went to bed, I read a FaceBook posting by a friend of mine. She said she was nursing a migraine and she attributed it to Election Stress. "Hey!" I thought, "Me too!" And then I hobbled and limped all the way to bed, gingerly holding my head between my hands. I felt defeated. I felt small. I felt powerless to stop the negativity and fear that is circling our country like a vulture.

This is a hard time for a romantic like me. I mean, what if there isn't a happy ending with the presidential election? Like many of us, I find myself at a crisis point. I need an epiphany! So - in hopes of achieving an epiphany or at the very least an endorphin rush - I took my pain wracked body out the door this morning and went for a jog. My body still hurts but I do feel better overall. And I did have an epiphany of sorts. A few of them even.

• Epiphany One: There is no such thing as a perfect epiphany. Elation is elusive.
  
• Epiphany Two: Jogging with your dog is really nice.
• Epiphany Three: My life is good and I am happy. I practice happiness as a form of service to the universe.
  
• Epiphany Four: I believe in - and I write about - goodness and happiness and joy. That in itself is a form of worship. I actively worship hope. I am not passive and I will immediately rewrite all unnecessarily passive sentences in my novel.
• Ephiphany Five: Love conquers all. No matter what.

Let's all try to remember Epiphany Five. Keep your hope alive, your hearts open, and keep believing. Take the risk. I promise it will have a happy ending. No matter what.

- LC

Where am I? Day One.

Hi. So I'm starting this blog very unsure, really, of what "blog" means. I suppose then I will have to define it for myself. Story of my life.

Here I am. Lena. Writer of Romantic Fiction. How did I get here?

It started with a premature mid-life crisis (very premature if you please). Suddenly overcome with the desire to be The Real Lena, I quit my job as a rising star in my profession (read over-achiever, perfectionist, exhausted martyr) and turned instead to the work I've always wanted to do: writing romance novels. It was and is so very hard for me to strive for this dream.

I was raised to believe that love, sex, humor and joy are not valuable. Drudgery, hard work and loneliness are real, according to my teachers. Like a good little pupil, I tried very hard to cover up my own innate sensuality, my loud laugh, my flirtatious smile and my womanly curves. And I most certainly hid my love for romance novels.

What a drag that was!

Off with the disguise, I say! I am a sensual woman who loves laughter, food, drink, friends and sex. I love to curl up with a steamy romance novel and know that it'll all turn out just great in the end. I love to read about strong women, strong men, strong emotions and titillating sex. Not to mention adventure and intrigue.

How could I have avoided myself for so long? Thank god I came to my senses.

I am writing about a gutsy and somewhat goofy modern day woman who is kidnapped and taken back through time to the antebellum south. Turns out she's the long lost heiress to a plantation! This is rather disturbing to her for so very many reasons. I'm sure you can imagine at least a few of them. In the process of figuring it all out, my heroine meets this really hot guy who is way too serious and loyal and really needs to have a good laugh. Somehow they manage find happiness together. I'm not entirely certain how it works out but I assure you, it is going to have a happy ending. I guarantee it. Because it's a romance novel!

This is the first full-length novel I have written. I hope to finish it soon but it's excrutiating. Like pulling teeth. And then there's the re-writes. Groan. So, to manage my own sanity, I've decided to blog about the ups and downs of being an unpublished writer of romantic fiction.

I'll try to post daily but sometimes I cannot go near the computer for fear of _______________. You fill in the blank. Please. Blank space is very scary to a newbie like me.

love - Lena