Collaboration

I really enjoy collaborative writing, although I don't get to do it very often these days. Whether that collaboration means crafting a story from beginning to end with a co-author or trading it back and forth round-robin style without a communal clue as to where it's going, I like it. I started doing it back in grade school, in fact. Of course, then it took the form of "I wrote myself into a corner. Here. Write me out of it" along with the handing over of pencil-scribble-covered pages. Usually, it worked. Fresh eyes and a fresh imagination can always see something new. And I would naturally return the favour upon request. That's what partners are for. Writing is so often a solo gig, and sometimes it can get lonely. Sure, all those voices in your head can keep you hopping, but sometimes they clam up, and sometimes you need a break from those fictional people. Having a co-author to turn to, whether it's a means of getting you unstuck when you can't figure out how to get out of the mess you've gotten your characters into, or it's someone to bounce ideas around with until you collectively decide what happens next, can be an invaluable thing. I'm hoping I have the chance to do a bit of co-writing soon. It's going to take an alignment of the stars to make it happen, I fear, but I've got this really big magnet I've been dying to try out, so I'll see if I can't do something about that and the laws of physics be damned.

Getting to "The End"

One of the hardest parts of writing, for me, is finishing a book. It's not so bad with short stories, but novels and novellas? That's another story (so to speak). Starting a story, staring at a blank screen and wondering what to write, is not my problem. Getting through the middle to the climax of a book can be challenging, but is rarely insurmountable. Finishing a manuscript, writing that wrap-up that comes after you've had so much fun writing the climax, which is (let's be honest) the fun part, is the tough bit for me. Sure there are things that need to be tied up, sorted out, and whatnot, but *sigh* I was having so much fun before. The only thing that keeps me pressing forward in that moment where I just want to revert to my lazy nature and say in the words of Maxine the Scottish Tart "Och, I can't be bothered" is knowing that once it's done, I can walk away for a while and do my superiority dance. It looks something like this [dancing] I finished! I finished! I finished! [/dancing] That's what I was doing late last week when I completed the first draft of last year's NaNoWriMo novel. (Don't judge me. It's not November yet. ;-P ) I know I still need to do serious work on the last chapter before I even go back to the beginning to edit it into draft #2, but IT'S DONE, and this makes me happy.

How about you? Whether you write professionally, or you write fanfic on LiveJournal, or you write for yourself and don't share it with anyone else, what's the toughest part of the writing process for you?


Hey! I almost forgot! Thank you to those who've "Liked" my Facebook Page, Maia Strong, Author. If you haven't yet, please pop over, take a look, and if you like it, "Like" it!

Help an actor out?

Jalyn Green surgery fund

On August 13th, moments before the final bows of the season, one of our amazing actors took a hard fall. Not knowing the extent of the damage, Jalyn Green continued onto the stage and limped through his final two scenes of Antony and Cleopatra.

After the show, we sent him to the hospital. The prognosis: a broken fibula that required surgery. The surgery went very well and he is now resting while the plate and pins set in his bone.

Like many actors, Jalyn does not have insurance and works in the service industry. Accidents like this are all of our greatest fear, especially in tough financial times.

GreenStage has created the Jalyn Green Surgery Fund to help this fine young actor with his expenses from the surgery and his anticipated income loss, as he is unable to work for the next few weeks.

Anything you can give is a help and we thank you on his behalf.

Jalyn is shown here as the Soothsayer wtih McKenna Turner in Antony and Cleopatra. Photo by Melizabethe Photogrphy



I don't know Jalyn well, but I've met him a few times and he's a good guy. He's also a wonderful actor and he needs our help. Please click the link up above or right down here and donate whatever you can spare to help him out. Times are tough enough, and when unexpected expenses occur it can be devastating. Just a few moments of your time and a few dollars out of your pocket can make a huge difference here. Skip that latte for one day and donate the $3-$4 to the Jalyn Green Surgery Fund. Please. Every penny helps.

News update

I mentioned recently that I signed the contract for my m/m/f novel Rose & Thorn with Torquere Press. Now, here's a wee bit of blurbage so you can get an idea what the book is about.

Eamon Quinn is an actor with designs on a position with Rose & Thorn Theatrics. As a new university graduate, he's up to the acting challenge, but he's not so sure he's up to facing life in the big city. Fortunately, he quickly finds a friend in Jasper Davison. Jasper is intrigued by Eamon, sure that he's a fellow mountain-born soul, and that's something Jasper's been missing in coastal Yanuk. When both men are hired by Rose & Thorn, the kindred spirits soon become lovers--and catch the eye of the company's head apprentice, troupe musician, and animal wrangler, the pretty and precocious HJ Greenhills.

Bad luck plagues the theatre--accidents, injuries, and a sudden death--leading to rumors of a curse. Weaving sexual energy with Druid magic, Eamon and Jasper seek the truth behind the rumors. But confirming the curse is only the first hurdle. They need figure out who cast it and how to end it before it causes more harm. Even together, the two men aren't strong enough. Druid magic works best in threes, and so they seek HJ's help to lift the curse. The three put their bodies and energies together to call up the magic they need to set things right.

I don't have a release date yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

Also, don't foreget to head over to Facebook, search "Maia Strong, Author" and "like" my page. (I still need some more likes before I get a proper url.)

First Chapter - Preview

The first chapter of False Dawn is online, hosted by the lovely D. Renee Bagby. Go take a read!

Guest Blogging with NNN

Check it out! I'm guest blogging with Nine Naughty Novelists today. Come learn about my writing process--or lack of one! ;-D I'll be checking in throughout the day to answer any questions folks might have, so do stop by and say hello.

Guest Blogger Maia Strong - Symbiosis

Officially Official!

I am happy to officially announce that Torquere Press will be publishing my m/m/f fantasy novel Rose & Thorn! This book just happens to be the second NaNoWriMo novel that I wrote (the first being The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing) and I am so happy that it has at last found a home!

What a great way to start the weekend!