A common debate among writers centers around whether or not they plot. Do they begin writing with a detailed outline or simply write off the tops of their heads.

I am a plotter. For my first book, my initial outline was quite long, broken down chapter by chapter, scene by scene. I've never plotted so thoroughly since, but it did help me get through my first book. Now I start out with a synopsis and move from there.

I often think back to the words of my college Psychology professor who stressed the importance of outlining quite heavily. He would say you wouldn't set out on a long trip to a place you've never been before without a map, so why would you set out to write without an outline. And Lord knows, as easy as I get lost on the road, I need a map, a GPS system and another person to call out each turn. So it should be no wonder that I did such a ridiculously detailed outline for the first book.

So, while I spout all the virtues of plotting, I must admit that I'm the only plotter I know. Every other writer I've ever talked process with has claimed not to plot. They say they lose interest in the story when they already know what's going to happen. It's so much more exciting for them to just start putting words on the page and see what happens.

And this does sound exciting. But, I clearly was not made to live on the edge. I always wear my seatbelt, I'll never ride a motorcycle, and I plot. If I don't know what I'm about to write, I write nothing. I need a plan that I can stick to or veer from at will. I know there must be other plotters out there, but I don't know any of them. All the famous and successful authors I've heard speak of this are Non-Plotters. All my friends are Non-Plotters. So, we the Plotters must be the minority.

But it doesn't matter, plotting or no plotting, the magic works the same. Either you make your road map ahead of time, or you stumble your way through correcting along the way. I rewrite a lot less than the Non-Plotters, but they may be able to barrel through a lot faster, and the story always stays fresh for them. Plotting strategies are like belly-buttons, you're either an inny or an outty and they're both just as good.

Without the writing community, I never would have published the books that I did. There is some truth to the statement, "It's who you know". The romance writing community is particularly tight and opportunities can come down to who you know.

Through the community is how I learned to polish my writing, eliminate mistakes before I ever made them, and get support for my dream. I got support from my local organization, my critique group, online writing forums and fellow African-American writers. That connection to the community of writers kept me informed, made me well-known at confrences and garnered opportunity for me.

It's now been about five years since I've had that tight connection with the community and I'm very wary about how much I want to dive back in. I've always kept a thread of connection alive through my critique group, but those other ties have been broken over the years.

So while I'm aware of all the benefits the writing community has provided me with over the years, I'm now keenly aware of the other side... a feeling of competition. Seeing writers who've made five years worth of progress while I've basically stayed in one place. They've been selling books like gangbusters while I've focused on personal issues like depression, illness and marriage.

But, when I have those fears, writers from the community tell me... I've faced those issues, too. I survived them. I've come back from it. You can, too!

So the moral of this story is, good or bad, don't isolate yourself from the community. It's made up of people like you.

In a previous post, I mention some Web sites to visit when you want to improve your vocabulary and have a little fun. Since, I'm always on the Internet looking for new and improved ways to waste time, I have a couple more to post.

Scrabbleblast This game isn't quite like scrabble because all the letters are already on the board. Your job is to click on letters to make words that are as long as possible for the most points. The blast comes in when little bombs show up with a letter and a number indicating how long a word you need to make with that letter. If you're unsuccessful making the specified word before the bomb drops to the bottom of the screen, the game is over.

Word Mojo I first discovered this game for my palm pilot. I was thrilled to find that it came be played on the web. All you have to do is make 3 to 6 letter words out of given letters within the allotted time. After six successful rounds any letters placed on colored tiles during the game come together for you to arrange into a Mega Mojo word. This continues until you're unable to reach the minimum score to advance.

Hoyle Games Some of the games I mentioned in another post under Uproar have moved to Hoyle Games. Here you can play Word Yacht, my favorite, as well as some others that I haven't tried like Crosswords, Doublecross, Hangman, Wordsearch and Wordox.

Recently, while working on my current book, I went to the archives of a site that I've known about for a while but rarely had occasion to use. I had a slang term I wanted to use, but I didn't have a clue how to spell it.

Enter the Urban Dictionary.

1. bougie
Aspiring to be a higher class than one is. Derived from bourgeois - meaning middle/upper class, traditionally despised by communists.
When my friend Miya wears a blazer or Lucy gets a massage I call them bougie cause we're unemployed college students.
Source: indi, Jun 23, 2004

1. fo shizzle
:for sure; derived from Snoop Dogg.
This new doggyfizzle televizzle gon' be off the hizzle, fo shizzle.
Source: diambenz, Jun 20, 2003

2. fo shizzle
Slang for "for sure". Though most people attribute it to Snoop Dogg, fo shizzle can be traced back originally to E-40 from Vallejo, California. While originating out of hip-hop culture, this phrase has been overused to the point of triteness. Its most famous usage is
Fo shizzle, my nizzle.
Source: blair, Apr 11, 2004
As a fiction writer, this is a valuable resource. Either because you want to spice up the speech of a secondary character or because you think you know what something means, but you don't want to risk using the word incorrectly.

This site has a load of words you won't find in Webster's. And the definitions are provided by the community, so they can be hit or miss.

1. wordage
A word to describe someone's use of words.
"Hey you have really good wordage."
"I've got good wordage!"
"Your wordage is so lame!"
Source: Daniel Hough, Apr 12, 2004

2. wordage
Slang for the word "words".
"Bury me near my house" was my grandfather's last wordage.
Source: monkeyGOD, Jul 30, 2003

This July I went to the Romance Writers of America conference in Reno, Nevada. Since it had been five years since I'd last attended an RWA conference, I was very careful in choosing which workshops I attended. I wanted to dip my feet in slowly. For the workshops that I did attend, I primarily sat and absorbed information rather than taking notes.

On the first day, I listened to a PAN (Published Authors Network) speech given by Randall Wallace, the writer of the screenplay for Braveheart. Mind you, I've not seen this movie, despite the fact that it's my husband's all-time favorite. Well, listening to this man speak made me want to watch it for the first time. He was very dynamic and charming as a speaker. Most of what he said was annecdotal, but he did say one thing that was profound, so I wrote it down below.

Another workshop I enjoyed was given by one of my favorite writers, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She gave workshop on writing bestselling novels. I took copious notes in this workshop. But, my best conference experience came when it was time to board the motorcoach to the HarperCollins Author dinner. I got on alone, certain after so many years there wouldn't be any other writers I knew. So there was an empty seat beside me, and guess who got on next and took that seat. Susan Elizabeth Phillips. That made my night. She was so sweet and we chatted the entire ride. I was able to tell her how much I appreciated the tips (below) that she emparted:

Randall Wallace: Write what moves you.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Keep the reader in the story!

Write a compelling story that you can’t put down:
• Riveting plot
• Characters we care about
• Writing about an unfamiliar world in a interesting way
• Distinctive voice/writing style

Master good craft

Create dazzling characters
• They are sympathetic but not perfect - Keep their heart pure
• Realistic and larger than life
• Well-motivated by their own strengths and weaknesses
• They develop and grow
• They have strong individual voices

Read all the scenes the hero is in only to make sure he’s consistent. Do the same for the heroine.
Fix relationships in each scene (consistent).

Plot should move fast. Leave the boring parts out.
• Long passages of research can bog a story down
• Flashbacks should begin with the highest point of action, be kept brief and in context with the story
• Avoid too much internal dialogue
• Make every word count
• Cliffhangers - don’t resolve things at the end of the chapter. Always leave the chapter at a point that will make the reader want to read the next chapter immediately.
• Subplot - don’t leave the main plot at the point of highest action

How do I feel about writing today? Rushed. I want to write today. But, I also wanted to sleep. Now I've got a limited amount of time on my hands because I have an appointment in the middle of the day. I hate having things scheduled in the middle of my day because I usually don't do anything beforehand and when I return, it's probably time for something else... like a nap.

At least when I have things scheduled first thing in the morning or later in the day, I have a solid chunk of time to play with. But, who am I kidding here, my real problem isn't time, it's organization. About many things I can be very organized. Time isn't one of them. When I was in Reno for the RWA convetion, I bought a book called The Procrastinator's Handbook. Naturally I haven't read it yet.

And, since I have a limited amount of writing time today, the obvious question is why am I writing on this blog?

Copyright infringement becomes very important to you when you become a writer. It's something I've only paid mild attention to over the course of my writing career, but now that blogs and all forms of Internet publishing have become envogue, it's important to understand exactly what your rights are.

Check out 10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained. This article brings up some interesting issues you may not have considered regarding copyright infringements.

It's been so long since I've updated my Web site. I started writing full-time back in February, and you haven't heard from me since. So much has been going on, and I hate to say that the least of it was writing. But, I'm pleased to say that all has changed.

With the RWA National Convention behind me and three or four weeks of consistent writing, I think I've finally found my groove in this writing from home thing.

You see, I've had day jobs all of my adult life, and now I guess it's safe to admit that I spent a great deal of the time on those jobs working on books for deadlines. Now that I'm finally out of contract, for the first time in ten years, and I have all the time in the world, it's been a struggle to manage all that time.

The great thing about going to the RWA Conference was reminding myself that all writers in my position are going through similar things. Being around so much creative energy has given me the boost I was looking for.

I met some wonderful people at the conference, old friends and new, and I've even rejoined my local writing chapters. This experience has reminded me of the importance of the writing community and staying connected. In a future post, I'll share some useful tips I picked up from the conference.