The Evolution of My Writing Space

 By Maureen Bonatch 

When I decided to really focus on my writing I didn’t have a dedicated writing space. I always dabbled in some type of writing, whether it be poetry or short stories, but now I wanted to write a novel. I didn’t have an actual ‘space’ for writing—because we all envision having that cabin in the woods, or beach house to write our master pieces undisturbed—yeah, I’m still dreaming about that. 

 Instead I Got a Binder  

Sure, go ahead and laugh but I bet about 50% or more of you have your own little not-so-secret obsession with office products. One of my go-to products is always binders. Throw in some dividers, and if you have one with pockets all the better! 

 

I started off by carrying this binder around with my notes and other drafts and information when I was ready to write. 

When I say write, I mean type on my laptop. If any of you know me in real life, you know my handwriting is just…well, it’s practically illegible by now, even to me. I blame it on years of shorthand and taking too many notes in my college years.

         My  first writing assistant - Bummy - blocking my binder.

Break Out the Bulletin Boards  

Soon after I had to expand my writing supplies outside of binders to include another favorite of mine…bulletin boards. 

I’d put a timeline, pictures of my characters and notes on index cards (yes I love me some office supplies!). 

 Unfortunately, as the years went by, so did the number of stories I was working on. I’d start one, and then another, or set one aside to wait until I was ready to work on edits. (Face it. I’m never ready to work on edits. It’s just a necessary evil, and why I had to have so many darn bulletin boards so I could keep things straight!) 

By then I converted our guest room into an office (Sorry guests! I had to put all those bulletin boards somewhere, right?), but even that did not have enough walls for all the bulletin boards of notes. 

My initial thought was that if I got these thoughts onto index cards and on the board they’d be out of my mind. Because as many writers might understand, those characters just start to drive you crazy after a while if you ignore their stories. Or, worse, you forget what it was you wanted to write about. 

Scruff as a puppy trying to escape the office- most likely with a push pin that he's trying (and failing!) to sneak off with.

Back to Basics 

Once I was completely surrounded by bulletin boards (and even threw in a wipe off board and giant yearly wall calendar for planning), instead of feeling like I was organizing all my stories, I started to feel overwhelmed. As if those board were closing in on me when I entered the office to write (and they might have been, I found those push pins everywhere! It was becoming a hazard to keep adding notes). 

So I took it all down and put the information for each book…into binders. 

Once I started using easels for bulletin boards because I ran out of wall space, that's when I knew it was time for an intervention away from bulletin boards. 

Then, fast forward to me breaking down many of the binders and moving the information onto the computer into spreadsheets and organizing information in Google Docs & Scrivener. 

That has become my current process and is still a work in progress. But one thing never changed, and that was that I didn’t need an actual space to write. I still add notes onto my cell phone when I get an idea, and carry little notebooks everywhere to jot down inspiration. 

 

What should you take away from what I’ve learned in my process? 

Office products are awesome! Okay, maybe that's one thing, but not the main point.

• Don’t wait for the right time or place to write—write when inspiration strikes, on whatever works best for you. 
• And don’t be afraid to change your process. 

 Do You Have a Dedicated Space for Your Writing or other Passions? 

 Autumn has arrived! Looking to get cozy? 

A cozy mystery story, that is? Well, you’re in luck because here’s a great selection of cozy mysteries to curl up with on a cool autumn day.

Check it out right here: 

 https://books.bookfunnel.com/cozymysteriesforcoldautumnnightsku/o8t67ss1lc

It's October! Who's Ready for Treats?! 

Join the Midnight in the Garden Facebook Group (Click Right Here) today so you don't miss out on any treats!

Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. 

 While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival. 

 Follow M.L. Bonatch all through cyberspace- she's new in town and can use some friends! 

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Going Dark

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the time has come when night and darkness dominate. The weeks between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice have always been my favorite time of year, when night becomes longer than daytime in the decent toward its darkest hours.

This is when my candles come out. I love the warmth of candlelight and the romantic shadows it throws, and although I don’t have a fireplace, I love it when the scent of burning wood begins to carry on the crisp fall air as people who do have fireplaces light their first fires of the season.

Perhaps because of the dying light, scent just seems to become more important. The aromas of apple cider and pumpkin pie and warm, wintry spices entice like few others.

And then there are the creatures of the night. Nothing sends a delightful chill up my spine quite like the supernatural: Vampires and werewolves. Demons and dark Fae. Ghosts and goblins and witches. The dark things in our psyches we’re supposed to be afraid of somehow hold a particular romantic attraction. Maybe it’s the unapologetic power they wield or the fact that they exude a feral sensuality. But give me a dark, dangerous beastie over a stalwart knight in shining armor anytime.
Even better if that dark, dangerous beastie is a little bit tortured, damaged, and misunderstood. Or better still, a tragic hero enchanted under a dark curse.

Because let’s face it: everyone looks good in black.

What’s your favorite thing about the season? Are you, too, a sucker for creatures of the night?

---

By the way, if you’re looking for dark, misunderstood heroes—and heroines—I’ve got them in spades:

Belphagor, in my Demons of Elysium series, has secrets he still hasn’t told about his past. He’s hinted at them in the Demons series and its companion series, The House of Arkhangel’sk, but he plays his cards close to the vest.

If you like thieves, gamblers, and rogues, and you love m/m erotica and BDSM, Belphagor’s your man. Er, demon. The first book in the trilogy, Prince of Tricks, is a good place to start:

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In my Looking Glass Gods trilogy…well, where do I start? Pretty much everyone here is tortured and full of secrets, but Ra takes tortured to new depths—and heights. In this dark fantasy, heroes become heroines, heroines become heroes, and mortals become immortals.

The final book in the trilogy, Idol of Glass, comes out at the end of this month and is available for pre-order now at the usual suspects.

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And my first m/f gothic paranormal romance, The Lost Coast, has a classic broody, angsty alpha hero in Lukas Strand.

A dark paranormal romance about fire, wine, and old-growth forests, The Lost Coast is coming in December and is also available now for pre-order.

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Autumn Blues?

You may think from the title that I don't like the Fall. But the opposite is true. This is my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler temperatures, a welcome break from the humidity, the trees changing color along with the falling leaves. And pumpkins. Oh my gosh, just seeing the pumpkin stands along the side of the road gets me so excited.

Sure, there are some down sides to the Fall - the beginning of cold and flu season, having to rake leaves, and the worst, one season closer to winter. Hey, winter would be awesome if I didn't have to shovel or drive in the snow.

So, where does the color blue come in? Well, blue is one of my favorite colors. With all the beautiful colors of the fall, I wish blue was included. After all, it is the skin color I tend to give many of the aliens in my stories.

In Crash Landing, which released today, there are two blue aliens, Cael and Mare. Though they didn't come to Earth together. But what they bring to the story, and to Tara are sure to heat up the sheets.

Here's the blurb:

As his ship plummets toward Earth, Cael believes his life to be over. His last ditch effort to save himself ends in a fiery crash. When he wakes up, he believes he’s entered the afterlife, but his surroundings indicate otherwise. He made it to Earth. But who saved him, and what do they want with him?

Crash Landing is available from Decadent Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, and many other ebook retailers. More information and buy links posted here.

And an excerpt:

He rushed to the right, his rod too hard to wait. The slurping, sucking, and cries of pleasure continued as he reached the entrance behind which the action took place. The door ajar, he dared a quick glimpse into the room. With a gasp, he stepped back into the hall, but could not take his eyes off the sight in front of him.

With her rounded pink ass and swollen sex folds in full view, a woman went to work sucking off a man. The musky scent of her desire wound through his nasal passages and drew him closer. She rested on her hands and knees on a platform, while the guy kneeled in front of her. But unlike any beings he had ever seen on the vids of Earth, the guy had blue skin. Not his deep, almost indigo shade, but lighter, closer to the color of the water he’d landed in. Long blond hair flowed over his shoulders, onto his muscular chest.

The man held the woman’s shoulders with his webbed hands—yes, webbed hands—drawing her on and off his dick. “You have the mouth of an angel.” He threw his head back and thrust faster and faster between her lips.

The sight stimulated Cael. They weren’t trying to make babies; it seemed they were having sexual relations for pleasure. He yearned not only to bury his face in the wet pussy in front of him, but to taste the man’s blue dick, feel it inside of him. Back on Narien, he’d crafted his own devices made from the soft, flimsy bark of the totmos plant, to experience the pleasure both men and women felt in the stadium, why they cried out during mating, but never seemed injured. And learn he had, anxious to be ready when he reached his thirtieth year and was allowed to mate. He’d turned that age a half year ago, with no one on his ship to be his partner. Would he finally have an opportunity?

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

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