Happy National Photography Day!Strange way to start a blog post about writing, I know. Except…it really isn’t odd at all, when you consider how much the two mediums have in common.
Consider first that the word photography literally means “light writing” because the original—think analogue—process of making a picture “wrote” onto silver-coated plates and later film. Watching a photographic print develop, turning from a blank sheet of photographic paper into a picture that you took, is akin to magic, and as writers, we’re all too familiar with the feeling of turning something common—in our case, words– into something special.
That’s not all we share. Much of the language of literature is similar in photography. Focus, big picture, develop, black & white, and composition are terms each purveyor of the craft might use. But the most significant one would be imagery, and it is there that we share the most, this desire to convey a moment in time, to make the reader (or viewer) feel and see what we choose.
And on a more basic level, how many of us have Pinterest boards or cork boards or folders full of pictures we use as references? (It can’t just be me with thousands of them somewhat tidily collected and sort of organized.) And like many authors, I try to translate the image into words tweaked of course to match the scene I’m creating.
Personally, I’m a bit of a shutterbug. Yes, those are all my cameras, and I do use them (though the oldest are quite challenging). I’ve also included a picture of the oldest and newest ones in my collection. Not only do I like the contrast—one analogue and one digital—I like the juxtaposition of old and new technologies, and both have their place in my life.
Like most people, I take hundreds of photos in a month. Some are good. Some are complete crap and rather quickly deleted. I love the instantaneous nature of digital. It’s also a bit of a class equalizer. Photography in general is an expensive hobby, but the ability to use our phones has levelled that playing field, much like the Kodak Brownie did back in the day.
But I think we’ve also lost something along the way. If you’ve ever taken an analogue photo, you’ll know that it’s a rather deliberative process, in part because each print is very expensive. So I take my time and only take pictures that are worthwhile and have meaning. I strive to make them perfect from the beginning because otherwise, what’s the point? I’ll end up with a blurry, useless image. (Having said that, candid pictures and analogue are fun. Many might be less than ideal, but they capture something significant to me.)
The same can be argued with words and technology. We shoot off emails and texts and comment on social media posts, often without thought, and those words are often deleterious in import and content. And I think as writers, we are akin to analogue photographers because when we create, we stop and think and shape the words into something significant, and often we work and re-work the words until they convey just the perfect meaning. Analogue photographers can work and re-work, too, with filters, cropping, and other pre and post-processes.
I’m not a luddite by any means. Please don’t think that. I embrace technology completely—I mean, I just got a new phone because I wanted the better camera on it—but I can also see the value in the old ways. If you haven’t taken an analogue picture in years—or if you’ve never done it—I recommend you do. If you’re a writer, you’ll revel in the experience of crafting an image in a different way.
About the Author
D.S. Dehel is a lover of literature, good food, and the Oxford comma. When she is not immersed in a book, she is mom to her kids and spoiling her rather pampered feline, Mr. Darcy or her equally pampered puppy, Jameson, and her semi-psychotic Australian Shepherd, Piper. Having finally retired, she spends her days dreaming up new plotlines. She adores literary allusions, writing sex scenes, and British men. Actually, make that hot men in general. Her devoted husband is still convinced she writes children’s books. Please don’t enlighten him.
It’s August, and you know what that means… Football season is right around the corner.But wait. Let me cool my heels for just a second. So, everyone knows I’m a huge sports fanatic. Football, hockey, diving, baseball, cheerleading, volleyball, you name it. (Okay, strike that. Don’t name it. I made that challenge to my bestie who said boules. I didn’t even know what the heck that was until I searched it on Google, and now, I’m depressed that I do.)
Saturdays in fall, everyone knows where to find me—at an SEC tailgate, of course. (Specifically, supporting my Bayou Bengals. Love purple, live gold.) And after a year of social distancing, lockdown, and all other kind of medieval atrocities that drug themselves up from the decrepit crypts of the past to revisit and wreak havoc, I can’t wait to get back into the stands (safely, of course). However, my love of sports doesn’t stop at stadium gates or a remote control. It has spilled over into my writing. I’m an author of sports romance. What beauty to be able to blend two loves into one. Perfection!
Here’s the real secret about sports romances. The romance is at the core.So, even if a reader dislikes sports and/or athletics, he/she can still enjoy the romantic story. What makes sports romances stand out from all other romantic subgenres is that sports, naturally, play a large role in the story. Well, duh! Hence the name “sports romance.” But hang on a minute. Not so fast. This is where it may become confusing for some. In a sports romance, sports may play a substantial role, an essential role, or both. What it can’t be is a backdrop. To demonstrate my point, I like to refer to the 1950s sitcom, Leave It to Beaver.
In the classic sitcom, typical of its time, Ward Clever was the dutiful patriarch of the family. Husband to June and father to Wally and Theodore, Ward faithfully traipsed off each morning in his crisp white shirt, sensible shirt, and polished shoes with a hat on head and briefcase in hand to work to be the breadwinner of his family. But what did Ward do? For the six years that it was on the air, Ward’s actual job was vague. He worked for a “big company” doing who knows what exactly? He could have been a stockbroker, an architect, a real estate agent, an attorney, an insurance salesman, or a slew of other professions. The point is, Ward’s specific job title or duties weren’t important to the narrative of the show. All that was needed was to show viewers that he was a hardworking provider for his family. Thus, the nature of his job was a backdrop.
In a sports romance, it is not enough to have a character be a current or former athlete for the story to be considered a sports romance. If the sports aspect of the story is unimportant and can easily be substituted by something else, then that’s not a sports romance. Rather, it’s a romance with an athletic character. Now, I know the arguments against this position but think about it.
Many of John Grisham’s stories and novels feature characters who are attorneys. It makes sense. His plots deal with the legal system. Being an attorney is a central aspect of many of his characters and plots. In Harper Lee’s American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is fitting that one of the major characters, Atticus Finch, is an attorney. Exchanging the professions in these books would create an overall different feel and direction for the stories. Now, what if Frank Kennedy in Gone with the Wind was an attorney? Would it matter to the story? Would it change any outcomes or character arcs? In Bridget Jones’ Diary, Mark Darcy is an attorney. How much does this impact the story? Suppose he was a wealthy run-of-the-mill philanthropist or business investor? Would that make any difference?
Another way to consider it is this. Suppose a story has a character who is a vampire, but that character is never shown doing anything “vampirish.” Instead, the story focuses on retrieving a lost treasure and the only reason the vampire is relevant is because he/she was alive when the treasure was originally lost. The vampire poses no threat to the recovery of this treasure or any other characters in the story. He/she is simply there to provide expository information to the other characters. This wouldn’t be considered a vampire story.
Yet, that is only half of it. Just because a story is a sports romance does not mean it is chock full of sports jargon and Game Day scenes. I mean, it could be but not necessarily. On Netflix, there is a series titled Last Chance U. Its focus is on JUCO athletes. The majority of the show does concentrate on athletes participating in games and training. However, it also highlights their struggles with school and their personal lives. With some shifting, this show could spend more time emphasizing the educational aspect and still be equally interesting. The role of sports would be decreased but still prominent.
Some readers are put off from reading sports romances because they believe the text will be too technical for them to understand. Good and creative storytellers prevent that problem by presenting the sport in such a way that it can be understood by sports novices while not alienating sports enthusiasts. This reminds me of a conversation I had with two former neighbors some years ago. As I was entering my residence one Friday afternoon, one of the neighbors was standing outside speaking with another neighbor. I had been grocery shopping for a Saturday game day party. My neighbor, seeing the bags and being from a rival university, naturally tossed a few playful taunts my way. Smack talking is nothing for me; so, I gave it right back to him. In it, I mentioned that his team had no depth. The other neighbor’s eyes grew as wide as saucers (I hadn’t yet met him). “Listen to you,” he said. To which the first neighbor applied, “Oh, man, she knows her stuff.” (Well, of course, I do. *big eye roll* It’s so sexist and antiquated to think a woman can’t talk sports, but I digress.) So, once the second neighbor realized I could hold my own, he decided to have a go at me. Everyone was laughing and having a good ole ha-ha and kee-kee when the second man’s wife (who I also had not met) came outside and ventured across the lawn to join the bunch. Only, this beautiful woman wasn’t a happy camper. She had an issue…with me…because I had her husband’s full attention. And she clearly had no inkling of what is going on in the conversation and felt left out. Well, that wasn’t my fault, but okay.
What did I do? I changed my language. I began speaking in a way that she could follow the conversation without feeling patronized—something that it seemed her husband had never done. I was able to include her. The basics of many sports aren’t that complex and can be learned in a couple of minutes if one is interested. I convey this to readers who may be hesitant to give sports romances a try.
Okay, okay, I know what some people might be thinking at this point—that I’m biased towards sports romance. I won’t disagree with that. For that reason, it is only fair that I list reasons that a person may want to avoid picking up a sports novel for their next vacation read or rainy afternoon pastime.
Da-dah, da-da-da-da… Is the song in your head now? You can thank me.
We’re excited here. Three of the kids are back in school today. We’ll see how long that lasts! Thankfully, our school enacted a mask mandate. For now, the house is quiet, and I’m hoping I’ll have more “me” time to do all the things I need to do…like write a dang book by the end of the month, edit four projects, and make some art.
I’m one of the “artists” (cough, gag) who will be showing in town in October at the art festival. Still don’t know how they selected me. I mean, we have some seriously good artists in this area. I hope to fill up my 10×10 space inside my tent with pieces people might like to hang in their house (I’d be thrilled to appear in someone’s bathroom!).
I have some older pieces I can use, but I’m trying to produce more. It’s been very slow-going. Like, only two new pieces so far. Want to take a look?
I made this one last night. I love it. Yeah, it’s all beige-y, but it works for me. It’s a water-doodle (watercolor and pen).
This one was done with soft pastel sticks.I had so much fun with it. Working with pastels makes me feel like a kid in kindergarten making a big mess.
Anyway, this is what I’ll be doing in the evenings after I finish work for the next two months.
Do y’all have any big projects in the works? Answer for a chance to win a hand-painted postcard from me. 🙂
I love writing stories, and taking photos of nature is how I refill my muse. Nature’s beauty is inspiring.
I enjoy the gorgeous flowers of summer, which are a beautiful backdrop for photos of butterflies.
Each day when I head out on my morning walks, I never know what animals or birds I’m going to see.
With dragonflies gliding through the gentle wind currents or resting on dried sticks, they seem to be soaking up the summer sun.
At the pond, the newborn chicks have hatched and are flying about, with a myriad of flowers swaying in the breeze along the shore.
It’s always a treat to see the red-eared slider turtles. I usually find them basking on logs in the sun, enjoying the summer day. Take care, and enjoy the rest of your summer.
Contest
ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, ‘Nature ‒ Muse Inspiration!’ on Delilah’s blog between 15 August 2021– 22 August 2021, and will win a signed copy of His Woman.
About the Author
A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothersseries have been translated into five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.
After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. After the release of the bestselling MacGruder Brothersseries and The Oath Trilogy, she released the bestselling The Forbidden Series.
Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.
Nothing gets my engines revving as a romance reader like a super determined (and often grim) hero chasing his wily passionate female through obstacle-strewn terrain.
There are twists and turns, near misses, danger, and the thrill of the hunt. The more she evades him, the more frustrated he becomes and the hotter the capture scene will be. We know once he finally places his hands on her, his hands will be ALL over her. (Fans my face.)
Delilah Devlin crafts this emotional buildup extremely well in Cage, her first Montana Bounty Hunters story. Cage, her hero, is hunting Elaine, his ex-wife. And she gives him a great and wonderfully steamy chase.
Taelyn, the heroine of Baring Grudge, my brand new cyborg romance release, makes Grudge, the cyborg hero, pursue her also. Their game of predator and prey spans the entire universe.
She wants him. Badly. And she senses he wants her with the same fervor. His brilliant blue eyes glow when he looks at her. His body reacts to her proximity.
But she also believes he plans to deliver her to the Humanoid Alliance, the baddies, a cruel and harsh organization she has been stealing from and tormenting in other ways. Those beings, if they find Taelyn, will torture and kill her.
There will be repercussions for being caught.
That is part of the thrill of reading about these hunts. They have consequences.
We realize it won’t be all gentle touches and soft words when the hero finally secures the heroine. The sexy times will be explosive (especially in the case of bomb-loving Grudge) and rough. She will be punished in some way.
There will be repercussions for the hero also. And conflict. She is his heroine yet he has a duty to fulfill. Will he choose love or honor?
What is your favorite romance that features a chase or a hunt between the love interests? What prompted that chase?
Baring Grudge
No one in the universe is more determined
than a cyborg warrior tracking his female.
Grudge, a C Model cyborg, has been assigned a mission – safeguard a Humanoid Alliance space station for his kind. Honor was once all he had, and he is determined to fulfill his duty.
That resolve is tested when a tiny human female enters the space station and sets the prettiest little explosives the warrior has ever seen. She is Grudge’s genetic match, the one being manufactured for him. He wants to touch her, kiss her, claim her in all ways, but first he has to stop her from blasting him into the next galaxy.
Taelyn has a self-appointed mission—to destroy every battle robot the Humanoid Alliance has ever manufactured. A huge gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg warrior with mismatched arms won’t prevent her from achieving her goal. She’ll escape him, leaving destruction in her wake.
Before she departs, she’ll experience one toe-curling moment of hatred-edged passion with her handsome foe. She’ll show him how skilled with detonations she truly is. He will have his universe rocked.
Then she’ll disappear.
Her cyborg, however, has no intention of ever letting her go.
Baring Grudge is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a determined, damaged warrior, an equally resolute human female, and an explosive game of predator and prey played across galaxies.
USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Sax writes steamy Cyborg, Alien and Contemporary Romances. Her stories have been featured on TV, in Star Magazine, and numerous top ten lists.
Sign up for her dirty-joke-filled monthly newsletter and visit her on the web at www.CynthiaSax.com.
Finally! I won’t go into what’s going on with Amazon and me, but Sleeping With The Enemy is finally out! If you previously had it on pre-order, that pre-order was cancelled (again, not going into what happened—Grrr!).
It is a SHORT STORY, and just an introductory taste of the Dark Realm world. It is FREE, and will remain so, in Kindle Unlimited and only $0.99 if you’re not a subscriber! Be warned: It’s a PARANORMAL EROTIC ROMANCE! Hope you enjoy it!
A lone rogue vampire mingles among his hunters in a blood bar, undetected…until a beautiful woman snares his attention. Suddenly, he’s running, leading her on a chase until she corners him, stake dangling from her slender fingertips. Now he has a couple of choices: play it sexy or safe?
So, it’s time to shed some pounds!!!! Not because I want to be slim. I don’t. I’ve done that, and it’s too much work to maintain. I just want to feel better, less sluggish. Simple as that. I figure 30 pounds ought to do it.
I loaded the Weight Watchers app on my iPhone. I filled the fridge with healthy, nutritious snacks like celery, hummus, cottage cheese, eggs… There are sardines and crackers in the cabinet. I like snacking, so I try not to sabotage myself with chips and nuts (Gawd, I love nuts!). I’m a salt person, not a sweetaholic. My dd already cooks nutritious dinners, so I just have to navigate every other meal throughout the day. I’ll count the points!
What I have to do is up my activity. Yeah, I love the pool, but I like to float. I can do some lunges, some kicks holding onto the pool noodle…all that…no problem, but I figure if I add music to my housecleaning/organizing, I’ll be more apt to dance while I do it. You know, something fun instead of the old treadmill.
So far, I have “Walk This Way” by Run DMC and Aerosmith, “Happy” by Ferell, and “Wild Things” by the Troggs. So, help me fill out my playlist to get my a$$ in gear to work up a bit of sweat.
I love Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, and some Pop. Suggest away for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, and if you have suggestions for low-impact exercises, feed those to me, too!
