The Men Who Complete Them...Or Not...

Navigating one of many airports I conquered this past week, I had the fabulous fortune of meeting two terrific ladies who blessed me with a profound aha moment I'm anxious to share with all of you out there in blogburbiaville...

I'd 'carded' the ladies (with my business card) while traveling in the underground monorail system between concourses. Upon reading my tag line "It's all about sexy, sassy, smart women and the men who complete them", they waited for me at the top of the escalator beyond the monorail and suggested I might add "...and the men who complete them...or not...".

We all got a great laugh out of the idea, but as I waited at my gate - after spending $27 for two cheese, cracker and grape plates to tide me over for the next two flights (sorry...I digress) - I gave their sexy, sassy, smart comment the thought it deserved.

I'm always amazed and delighted by the God's Laughing Timing of how new information hits us as human beings. I'd been studying up all week on how to turn my chick-lit-toned novels into romantic comedies to position myself a bit stronger in acquisitions. Asking myself what it was that made a story more RomCom than Chick Lit. Thanks to one great screenwriting and story analyst legend Billy Mernit and these two 'ladies of the airport', I had my answer.

So here it goes...well, at least my D. D. Scott definition of what makes for a fabulous Romantic Comedy:

We see the Hero and Heroine meet that first time and feel the sizzle of that first spark between them. (For those of you who've read the excerpt posted on my website, that means, as a romantic comedy version, you're now going to see when Roxy rear-ends Zayne's tomato truck. Talk about fabulous fun...I laughed-out-loud adding the new chapters one and two!!!) We also get a lot clearer picture of why Roxy is who she is, and I like that. We immediately get a sense of why they complete each other as a romantic couple, even if they don't get it at first or get it but choose to downplay their attraction.

I've also used the three dogs in the story to a greater degree...so I upped the ante of my canine cast! LOL!!!

After studying Billy Mernit's take on RomCom, I feel exhilarated in that I've discovered that perhaps my true genre fit or natural proclivity as a writer is to create farcical Romcoms using a bit of satire and biting wit to expose just how much of an idiot we as human beings risk appearing and/or become in the name of love.

Fun stuff!

Okay...so there you have it...the D. D. Scott take on romantic comedies...and boy did the 'ladies in the airport' nail it...it's definitely the "men who complete them (my sexy, sassy, smart heroines)...or not...because it's that "maybe not" factor and the idiots we become to make it "you're mine, Baby" versus "maybe not" that keeps us turning the pages 'til the happily ever after...and then some.

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

P.S. I do, for sure, keep my sexy, sassy, smart chick-lit edge and tone though throughout my novels. That's where my voice comes through loud and oh-so-catty-clear!!!

P.S.S. What keeps you as readers turning the pages? Is it humor? Fabulous characters? Can't-wait-to-see-what-happens-next plots? Settings you can 'see' on every page? An emotional connection with the characters allowing you to live vicariously through them?

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Cracker Barrel, Chocolate, Coffee, Pop Culture and Therapy

Hello, y'all!!!

I'm coming to you from the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg Tennessee where I'm fixin' to recover from a writing deadline of every bestseller-wanna-be's dreams.

My agent called the Monday after Christmas and told me that three NY publishers needed more words and hotter sex for the first book in my Bootscootin' Blahniks series...oh yeah, baby...I've been cranking out love scenes for two weeks straight. I only hope the scenes went from "hot" to "hotter" like they were supposed to for the editors. I know I needed to either drink, smoke (which I don't), or take a cold shower every day after I finished writing...so I hope it does that for the editors too!!! LOL!!!

Now I've got to recharge my muses' batteries...no, not for their vibrators...LOL!!! So where am I finding fun and fabulous tidbits to get The Carrie Squad back into their next books? Okay...here's my secret...I love the quirky, wacky gifts in Cracker Barrel gift shops and pop culture stores.

Here are some wonderful, witty examples I've run across this week. I seem to gravitate toward those antique-looking, vintage metal signs that just scream Sexy, Sassy, Smart all over 'em. Here's a sneak peek:

"For some there's therapy, for the rest of us there's chocolate" (on a coffee mug)

"After all this therapy, I've finally realized it's all your fault" (on a vintage metal sign)

"Drink Coffee and do stupid things faster with more energy" (another vintage metal sign)

Are you feeling the same coffee, chocolate and therapy vibe I am? My muses are begging for all three!!! And I'm giving it all to them in the form of Starbucks (in Pigeon Forge where I'm sitting typing this with a grande red eye), home-made Smoky Mountain fudge, and retail therapy.

Then it's back to our cabin in the mountains where I'll give into my inner Ugly Betty fixations and settle in for the night to finish out the first season. Now there's some great writing and acting going on in that show!!!

Okay...there you have it...a little about how my creative mind works and what re-charges my muses for the next series...oh yeah, which I need to have partials done for like...now...

So back to work...

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Krispy Kreme Muses

So what do you think it says about your karma going into the new year if the following occurs...

To jolt your metabolism back from the land of the living way too large, you go to the grocery on New Year's Day to stock up on the Lean Cuisines you'll be surviving on the next two weeks. When, talk about visions of damned sugar plums, the first thing you see outside the store (you can't even make it into the building, mind you) is the Krispy Kreme delivery truck?!!! Grrrr....!!!!!!!!!!!

But despite the attack on my fragile psyche, the moment was sort of an aha for my muses The Carrie Squad. There, in that very obscene, jelly-filled, glazed moment, an idea for a story was born. A fabulous 'what if' involving a carb-challenged chick and her dream donut man.

That's one of the things I sooooo love about writing. I can take the seemingly horrific, you've-got-to-be-kidding quirks of life and turn them into sweet, gut-busting, hotter-than-hot-out-of-the-donut-fryer, LOL adventures.

How do you writers out there get your ideas? Who, what, where, when and/or whys and what ifs trip your creative triggers?

Happy New Year to All of You!!!

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Tracking Down My Fickle Muse Sluts

Lately it's been all about my muses The Carrie Squad...I know I keep finding things to say about them, but it's all in an effort to make them the celebrities they insist on being in order to keep rolling out the red carpet leading to my bestsellerdom.

'Course The Carrie Squad was none too pleased when I told them about Nora Roberts' take on their tendency to blow off a day or two:

"If you need to believe in the muse, let's say, fine and dandy. Whatever works for you. But don't tell me you can't work today because the muse has left you. Go track down that fickle slut, drag her back, chain her to your keyboard, and GET TO WORK." --- Nora Roberts

I'm thinking it was the whole "fickle slut" thing...but if the shoes fit, they're usually the first to wear them...so I'm not sure what they're problem is. They don't dress drag but appreciate and accept the talent and effort of those who do. And the whole bondage thing...well...I don't write Erotica, although I'm way past sweet romance...definitely more the hot stuff...we're talking researching with A Lover's Paintbox of Chocolates for some tasty foreplay...then my characters GET TO WORK!!!

Any thoughts on why The Carrie Squad wouldn't be into Nora's sound advise? 'Cause this sexy, sassy, smart romantic comedy writer thinks her comment is brilliant!!!

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Creative Bliss, Google Reader, Hip Tranquil Chicks, and Preston Bailey

I've discovered a new source of creative bliss...Google Reader. And I'm enthralled by its genius!!!

I've gone from clicking on pages upon pages of my favorite blogs to letting Google round up the new content for me then plop it in one place for me to absorb as needed...or not needed.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a wealth of on what appears on the surface to be useless information but turns into little trinkets of fabulous and gems of fun. With Google Reader, I have all my virtual world sources of creative bliss coming to me instead of me having to find them. Less work and more yummy tidbits.

You bet your sweet yoga-toned behind this works to enlighten me and The Carrie Squad...for example, I found a fun blog and hip tranquil chick to pamper our spirits...check this out at http://www.kimberlywilson.com/blog/

Another treasure trove of terrific stuff for my sexy, sassy, smart characters comes from a blog by one of my favorite event planners Preston Bailey. The man takes fabulous events to new heights of his own making. And I'm talking, one-of-a-kind, sensationally exotic ideas...take a sneak peek here: http://prestonbailey.blogspot.com

And no, I'm not nuts...well...okay...yes, I am...nuts over all the creative bliss and avenues for that creative bliss that I can find. Nothing feeds my muses and my writer's soul like fun information, hip tranquil chick lifestyles, and 'wow' designs and event ideas.

Pamper yourselves and your creative bliss.

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Monday, October 20, 2008

A 'Once Upon A Time' in the Making

Every wonder how a story comes to life then begins to take shape in a romance novelist's head?

Here's an example of how my muses - The Carrie Squad - and I came up with a story idea this weekend...

So Sweet Man and I were sitting by a corner window in a fabulous new martini bar and eatery, enjoying our pot roast and California Burger respectively, when we noticed a gorgeous, in a beyond stunning double-take way, middle-aged woman getting out of a sleek black, luxury sedan. The wind tousled the caramel curls escaping her up-twist and teased the fringe lining her exquisitely brocaded pashmina shawl. From her over-sized Jackie O sunglasses to the well-sculpted heels of her fine leather boots, the woman and her runway worthy gauchos held the world captive.

She waited for a car to pass in front of her. As she waited, a handsome, distinguished man exited the same sedan. The woman never acknowledged his presence, crossed the parking lot before he even reached the crosswalk, and never once, so much as hinted at the crack of a smile. From her rigid, soured expression, I'm not so sure smiling was in her nonverbal communication repertoire. Or if it had been, it certainly wasn't anymore.

After watching the scene unfold in front of us, The Carrie Squad and I were spellbound, intrigued, and getting busy long before the waitress brought us the huge wall of chocolate cake we ordered for a quick, creative power boost.

We wanted to know 'why'...why didn't or couldn't the woman smile? 'What'...what or who in her life had robbed her of happiness and joy? 'Who'...who was she? And who was the man she left in her wake? 'Where'...where had they come from? Where were they going next? 'What'...what kind of place does she call home? 'Does' she live there alone or with this man? Does she have children?

So there you have it...that's how I go out for a wonderful night with Sweet Man and come home having not only had a terrific time with the man of my dreams but also with a new 'Once Upon a Time' in the making and enough leftover chocolate cake for another creative boost.

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Brainstorming with The Carrie Squad

Inquiring minds always want to know where I get my story ideas. So I asked my muses The Carrie Squad and here's what they told me:

(a) D. D. is terrific at scoping out some fabulous location like Nashville TN and other artsy, creative and hip spots that really get us in the mood to ask those all important "What If's".

For example, 'What If' some holiday decorator of the stars (who has no idea who the handsome hunk is she's decorating for) meets him when he accidentally runs over the paper mache ghosts she's been tediously putting together for hours for the Halloween party he's throwing for his nieces...gives new meaning to our 'Boo'tscootin' series...LOL!!!...Note: This story, to be the fourth and last book in the Bootscootin' Series, came from a trip D. D. took on a Home of the Stars tour bus

(b) D. D. is an extremely visual person and approaches her art that way, and we love what she shows us!!! She devours issues of Life & Style and many other fashion and celebrity lifestyle rags. She scours boutiques for quirky pieces of art and or clothing that for some reason just talk to her...like the voices we fill her head with aren't enough...anyway, those pictures and objects give us something to center our visions around...and she often collages the images so we have a go-to point of reference

(c) And speaking of points of reference, she is a research nutcase. Once she finds that special location or object, she pours over material about that subject, finding just that off-the-path piece we need to turn that idea into something sexy, sassy and smart

(d) D. D. loves what she does. It's her passion. And even when she tries to quiet us down and give us a much-needed vacation, we pretend we're listening but keep whispering ideas to her as we spin them from the many visions dancing in her head

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

And The Band Played On

It's 8:30 in the evening on a cold, crisp Autumn night and our high school band is still practicing. I can hear them through my office windows. They've been at it now for almost two hours. It's a school night, and Sweet Man and I have been wondering and worrying about the late hour and how much homework is waiting on these kids at their dining room tables. And what about time to rest, relax and enjoy family?

I do think, like Sweet Man, that many of these kids may not have the passion to drive them to pursue their musical talents...perhaps it is their parents' passions putting them into overdrive. Whether it be music, athletics, theatre, dance, fine arts, or academics, my hope is that these kids are marching to their own dreams and not someone elses.

For me, writing has always been the driving force that keeps my internal band playing each and every day and sometimes late into the night. My muses, whom I call The Carrie Squad with a mixture of love, admiration and attitude, just keep dancing to their own beat. They've got enough passion for several lifetimes, and I'm having a ton of fun indulging them.

The Carrie Squad came to be called such on account of my respect and awe for Candace Bushnell and her Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City fame. Carrie lived her life - all its blissful aha moments along with its hell in a designer handbag disasters - through her words. She somehow captured on her laptop and eventually in print what her heart, mind, body and soul were loving without holding back or fighting against like mad couture canaries. And its her passion, the way she not only puts her best foot and shoe forward but also goes for all or nothing like the ultimate, most glamorous of gutsy girls, that resonates with me as a wanne-be Wonder Woman and writer.

So if those kids are out there on that dew soaked football field, playing their hearts out because their own Carrie Squads are cheering them on, I'm marching with them. But if they're not, and simply tooting those horns for others' happiness, may those others get a clue.

Sexy, Sassy, Smart Wishes --- D. D. Scott

Labels: My Muses (The Carrie Squad)