Saturday Guest Blogger Jamie Sobrato!
There is an inestimable amount of talent among the writers known as the Blaze Babes. It’s easy enough to guess who those writers are, yes? I’m always blown away by the talent of the women who write for Harlequin’s hottest category line. A few weeks ago, I picked up SEX AS A SECOND LANGUAGE by Jamie Sobrato and was once again amazed at the sheer fun of Jamie’s work–this book was like eating the best gelato in all of Rome (the book’s set in Rome, hence the simile!) and I just adored the characters, the plot, the style–but mostly, the writer’s voice. 
So I asked Jamie to guest blog with us and she agreed! Thanks, Jamie! She has a book out now called THE SEX BOMB (see the cover below…it’s one of the hottest EVER!) so be sure and check it out! My copy should be arriving soon via Amazon–and if you click on the pictures, yours could, too! She’s brought us some very good advice this Saturday…and clearly, Jamie knows what she’s talking about…
The Art and Craft of Knowing Nothing
One of the most profound realizations I’ve had recently is that, um–excuse me while I finish this Snickers bar–the candy accumulated for and by trick or treating causes me to eat way too much chocolate. Oh, and also that when I’m writing, nubile young servant men will never come scrub my floors unless I pay them, and where does one find hot male maids for hire, anyway? I mean, legally.
But no, neither of those are the profound realization I’m thinking of. Our dear Plotmonkeys have invited me here to discuss a writing craft related topic, and this whole concept always makes me laugh. Me? Have something useful to say about the writing craft? You must be kidding.
I guess I probably do, but trying to extract it from my brain is no easy process. I’m an intuitive learner, I space out when I try to read writing craft books, and I hate structure so much that I write all my books in messy, out-of-order pseudo-scenes that would make my editor scream and cower in a dark corner of her office if she ever saw them in first draft form.
But over the years, I’ve boiled my writing craft philosophy down to something I can sort of articulate to the world outside my brain. I call it The Art and Craft of Knowing Nothing, and it goes kind of like this. You work hard and write tons of stuff and do what you can to learn whatever your overworked brain can absorb, but mostly you just trust your storyteller’s intuition. This is a skill it can take years to master, but it’s probably the most important one to have aside from being able to type in English and find your writer’s voice and all that jazz. And the thing you have to do to master it, is the thing you love to do most–keep telling stories.
When you let too many other people’s opinions and ideas and how-tos and must-dos get in your head, you blow the magic that is your own incredibly unique way of doing this business we call writing novels. So you tell all the nagging voices to shut up, because it’s just your job to write. And then write some more. And some more.
I could have boiled it down even further to these two simple words, if I weren’t so wordy: trust yourself. But that would have made an exceedingly short blog post. And now I’ve made a too-long one, which is much more my style.
Thank you, you lovely Plotmonkeys and fans of Plotmonkeys for having me here today! It’s been my pleasure. And now that you hereby have my permission to toss aside all the craft tools and rigid rules, which one are you going to hurl most gleefully off the nearest tall building?
Jamie! This is excellent advice…and one of the reasons that I believe beginning writers need to JUST WRITE, even if they don’t feel entirely capable yet because the act of writing itself is a huge teacher. You learn your own style, which is the most impossible thing for anyone else to teach you. Great, great advice!
Comment by Julie Leto — November 3, 2007 @ 1:38 am
Welcome, Jamie! The Art and Craft of Knowing Nothing makes you the Jerry Seinfeld of Romance Writers!
But you are right. The more I second guess my messy process, the harder it is to write! Trust yourself and accept. Good advice! 
Comment by Carly — November 3, 2007 @ 7:52 am
Hi Jamie~ thanks for being here! Your advice is so great and timely as I’m participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time and if I want to make that goal, like you and Julie said, I need to JUST WRITE. No second guessing as Carly pointed out. So here goes…watch your head. I’m tossing everything!!
Phew, that felt good. Now I’m off to write for about an hour as I’m going to be gone all day.
Thanks again! Have a great day!
Comment by Robin — November 3, 2007 @ 9:39 am
Hot Damn - that is a hot cover!!!!
And the advise is good too - just write and trust yourself. I go one conference a year and maybe a seminar or two and I go now just to spend time with other writers. I know all need to know - I just need to stay put in the chair and write.
Comment by Liz — November 3, 2007 @ 9:44 am
What great advice!! You’ve touched on a huge part of my writing life. My internal conversations go like this:
Clarity (my higher self) - Just write. You instinctively know what works and what doesn’t just write.
My Internal Editor - yeah, but there so much to learn and it has to be right!
Clarity - throws her arms up in the air, rolls eyes and flops down in chair.
A week later when nothings been written the whole process starts all over again. I’ve got to get to the point where I trust that I know all I need to know for where I am right now. And it’s okay to not know everything - I’ll never know all of it - and just write!!!
Clarity says thank you for having her back on this one!! :angel7:
Comment by Jodie — November 3, 2007 @ 10:31 am
Jamie…
thank you 
thank you 
thank you!!! That is exactly what I needed to hear!!
but you have just given me permission to ease up on the technical stuff and back to the part I enjoy most, telling the story! 
My so called writing has been in a bit of a rut lately. I’ve gotten so caught up in all the “rules/tips” that my actual writing has suffered. I have been really second guessing myself a lot lately, confidence level has been way down, and writing hasn’t been too fun
By the way, those covers are
Comment by Tina Martinesi — November 3, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Boy Jodie, I’m beginning to think we were twins in a past life
Comment by Tina Martinesi — November 3, 2007 @ 10:39 am
Hey girl, I dropped by the castle yesterday and offered to get you a towel after your dip in the mote but you must have already been gone for the night….hope it was a good one!
Yeah, I think maybe you’re right. There surely are enough similarities between us that we could have been. Don’t you feel bad for our parents!!!
Comment by Jodie — November 3, 2007 @ 11:05 am
Ooopss, never mind Tina. I see you were there after me. You must have been hiding in the bushes or a dark corner when I was there!
Comment by Jodie — November 3, 2007 @ 11:07 am
Morning jungle friends…
Welcome to the Jungle Jamie…saw your books in Walmart and they are hot. I love the advice you give. It is funny the way you describe the Art and Craft of Knowing Nothing because that is the way I write. When I was in college, I wrote my papers backwards; the end first the middle and then the beginning…crazy, but it works for me. I think about what I want to accomplish, do it then find the process of getting there…it is weird because I can only do that with writing…anything else, I have to be rather systematic…your post was very enjoyable to read, much like your stories, and it exemplifies what you are saying…two little words would not have made a very interesting blog…you must be a cool woman to talk to in person…btw snickers are my favorite too…
It feels good to be back in the Jungle everyone…I feel like I have been gone for a very long time…you guys keep me sane…
I hope that everyone is fairing well on this rainy Saturday morning…to all the Red Sox fans…CONGRATULATIONS…I am a Yankee fan, but you can’t win em all…
Peace and love,
Comment by Paula R. — November 3, 2007 @ 11:07 am
Welcome to the jungle, Jamie!
:
Your advice is so simple, but a great reminder of how we need to be true to ourselves as writers, to trust our instincts and JUST WRITE! I know when I was first starting out, I let myself get caught up in all those writing “rules”, and my writing suffered for it. I constantly questioned myself and what I’d written. Now, if it feels right TO ME, I do it!
Comment by Janelle — November 3, 2007 @ 11:24 am
Great post…. I know I should trust myslef more and speak up!
Comment by Nathalie — November 3, 2007 @ 11:26 am
Welcome to the Plotmonkeys, Ms. Sobrato!
Great advice!
I’m participating in NANO this month and am having a blast. I’ve thrown all my doubts, second guesses, my sniggly little bitch of an internal editor out into a dark void and I’m writing like crazy to beat the band.
Hope you all are having a stupendous Saturday.
Cher
Comment by Cher — November 3, 2007 @ 11:56 am
Welcome to the jungle Jamie!!! I love your books and the
covers!!
Comment by Liza — November 3, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It feels even more ridiculous that I’m giving “craft advice” in the presence of such talented writers as the girls who run this site, but I’m glad my post helped a few of you. I am quite sure I never would have sold my first book if I didn’t focus on “just writing” and letting the technical stuff slowly seep into my brain through a mysterious process I could never articulate.
Paula, I too like to write my endings early on, so I know where I’m going. I think of it like trying to reach a destination. I need to know where I’m going to arrive before I can actually find my way there.
Thanks for the compliments on the covers, too! I have been very lucky lately. Especially the SEX BOMB cover–it’s my official all-time favorite now.
Comment by Jamie — November 3, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Oh, and Julie, thank you for the overly kind intro! I’m blushing and toeing the ground now.
Comment by Jamie — November 3, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
An honest introduction…every word!
BTW, Jamie is also the Queen of Titles. She’s forever coming up with great ones for all of us. Multi-talented, this woman!
I also meant to ask you…have you read EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert? I’m reading the section now where she’s decided to live in Rome for four months only to experience pleasure (but alas, no sex…silly woman) and maybe it’s because I just read SEX AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, but she highlights a few places that you mentioned in your book, too and I wondered if you used her book for research…’cause now that I’ve read your book and hers, I want to go to Rome!
Comment by Julie Leto — November 3, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Julie - my mom has been trying to get me to read Eat, Pray, Love but I’ve put it off and haven’t gotten it yet. It just hasn’t called my name loudly enough.
As for the no sex….at least none that she’s admited to!
Comment by Jodie — November 3, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
You are waaaay too kind, Julie. My head is going to start casting a shadow over this blog if you keep it up, LOL.
And I have read EAT PRAY LOVE and ADORED it. I read it after I wrote SEX AS A SECOND LANGUAGE though so unfortunately didn’t get to use it as research. I remember wishing I’d read it first because it did such a fabulous job of capturing the spirit of Italy, and there were some details I’d have loved to borrow. I spent some time in Italy, but it was years ago so my memory wasn’t nearly as fresh as hers.
I can’t recommend Liz Gilbert’s book enough. It think it was a big part of saving my sanity last year. I went to see her speak in person when she was on tour for the book, and she’s just as charming and funny in person as she is in print.
Comment by Jamie — November 3, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
Sounds like great advice!
Comment by Estella — November 3, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
Comment by Judy Pennell — November 3, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
Welcome Jamie!
Carly the Digger tour pics are in the mail just for fun.
Comment by Jeannie and Zoey — November 3, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Welcome Jamie,
Sorry I am late for today’s blog (tomorrow’s is going up soon) but I was shopping for a christmas ornament. Found the perfect one.
Really great post! Write and write and write.
Funny thing is my cp said today that before she knew all the rules she could write without any problems. Now she’s stopping to think, should I do this? Can I do that? I told her to write the book and go back and fix it afterwards.
I’m sending her the link to this.
Thanks so much!!
And oh yeah, your books are way HOT!
Comment by Vicki — November 3, 2007 @ 11:24 pm
Hi Jamie
have your newletter. Love sex bomb. great book, good ot see u here.
Comment by kim h — November 4, 2007 @ 12:05 am
I just stopped by your bog as I’m on your newsletter.
It was fund to read - I’m not a writer; more encourage writers and buy their books.
Thought you’d enjoy a visitor.
Comment by Jane Squires — November 4, 2007 @ 1:03 am
It was a lot of fun having you in the jungle with us today Jamie…thank you for sharing your wisdom about “Nothing.” Vicki, keep pushing your cp to write because she may be as an author that I might fall in love with too…I have discovered so many new ones hanging out in the jungle…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Comment by Paula R. — November 4, 2007 @ 7:39 am