Back in the saddle

Welp, I'm back in the saddle again, and I have to tell you it feels really good. I read a passage I worked on a couple of weeks ago, and have to say it was better than I remembered it. I might like these changes after all... it's just finishing them and then the book itself that's so terribly daunting. But then again, the only one making it daunting is myself... but that's a dead horse I'm not going to beat again.

It feels good to be writing.

The Putter-Outer

I haven't been writing. I haven't been critiquing. I have been caught up in everyday life, and I haven't dealt with it very well.

I feel so much like a failure when I have long gaps in my writing. I always come back, but I know I'm not as dedicated as I should be... or at least that's how I feel about it.

Then I thought of Ron Weasley. I have always understood and related to his insecurities. I didn't have five older brothers to live up to, but I've always felt second-best. Like Ron, I get in my own way...

One of my favorite scenes is in the last book, the Deathly Hallows. If you haven't read it yet, well, you're crazy for waiting... but don't worry I won't ruin the ending for you.

On their quest to stop Lord Voldemort, Harry, Ron and Hermione have a falling out and Ron leaves. Harry and Hermione are complete crushed but must carry on. What they don't find out until later is that Ron regretted the moment he made the decision... and he arrives just in time to... oh wait, I said I wasn't going to ruin anything, didn't I... anyway.

Dumbledore left his putter-outer to Ron when he passed. No one knew why. It was a really cool cigarette lighter that made light disappear and reappear, but no one knew why Dumbledore had left it to Ron. Ron figured it was because Dumbledore knew he would fail and run away. I think it took a lot of courage to admit this. But I love Harry's response... No he knew you'd always want to come back.

Ron got a second chance and I'm going to follow his example. I will follow it as many time as necessary to do what I love to do. Write.

Ho-hum

I have the "ho-hums" today. I'm tired. I'm busy at work. I have knitting projects to finish. I critiqued and wrote this week. Yet, all I want to do is sit in a squishy chair, lean back and stare off into space for a few minutes... hours... maybe even days. I've decided it's the Ho-Hums. My mom used to call it Staring time. She would get me up 30 minutes earlier every morning, so I'd have time just to stare. What do I do during those times? My mind floats through anything and everything. I think about what I want to do, what I haven't done, what I need to do (because that's not always what I want to do), mistakes I've made, dreams I've had... the list goes on and on.

The Ho-Hums don't last, but they make me feel very unproductive. I've kept up with my writing schedule week, which is pretty good, considering I've been juggling the Ho-Hums the whole time.

I'm not nearly as frightened about writing as I used to be. I've come to terms with the fact that it's hard from every angle, and I've decided I'm going to jump in anyway. Everything's hard. There's going to be rejection. I'm still going to write what I like and how I know to write. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be... if not... I'm going to write anyway, because I'm tired of being the one servant who buried his talent instead of using it... (one of my favorite parables).

I'm making good progress on Truthseekers. The last hundred pages (yes, I'm still stuck at the last hundred pages) are daunting, and I do have a lot of changes to make, but they are coming.

I've found a new twist on a very old story. So I think I'll dust that off here in a bit and give it a whirl as well.

Still feeling the Ho-Hums... I think I'll get some cereal and stare off into space for a while before I go to work.

I'm happy to report that my new schedule is working rather well. I got 2 critiques done this week (Actually that would be 3, but one is for a friend outside of my online critique group). I've worked on my own project, and have finally rewritten to the point that now I'm in totally old stuff and need to intertwine it with the new story line. I'm about 100 pages away to the original end. Not sure how much is going to be left, but I'm determined that this is my last "rewrite". Anything after this will be strictly grammatical corrections. I'm not adding ANYTHING else new to the story (I hope!).

I'm always nervous about critiquing, because I have been burned really bad in the past. I waded into the shallow end of the adult writing world about eight years ago, and got a RUDE awakening. I was very raw in my writing style, still living the high school dream of fantastic writing. Notice I said "shallow end", because I've been too timid to jump head first into the deep end. My writing journey has been slow and sometimes steady. I've done more wishing I could write than actual writing. It hasn't been but the last year or so that I have waded from the shallow end to the middle. My head is still above water, and I can still feel the bottom with my feet, but I know I have learned so much and writing will always be a part of my life. I don't know if I"ll ever jump off the diving board, but I plan on staying in the water. :)

I was actually given the best complement so far in my writing career, from a friend I highly regard. I've been critiquing his first YA Fantasy. I had a lot of thoughts to give him, and I was concerned how he would take it. Even constructive, supportive criticism can be hard to read when it's thick and overwhelming. When I checked with him, he asked me if I'd ever thought about going into editing for a living. He was impressed with what I had to say, and the things I found. Looks like I'm learning something after all. :)

My personal goals are: Finish my manuscript, Truthseekers. Revive my manuscript, Lily Among the Thorns. Keep critiquing. Keep writing. Learn how to put a proposal together. Send my stories out again and a again. Never give up... never surrender :)

Alive and kicking

Okay, while the idea was a great one, apparently I'm not very good at following my own rules. I would say life interrupted writing, but I won't use that as an excuse... even though it's true... but I won't use it anyway...

I am tweaking this challenge just a bit. So far it has worked really well, granted I'm only in my 3rd day of tweaking, but I take every success I can get.

I am setting up a schedule:

Monday: Do my own writing (Write)
Tuesday: Critique someone else's writing (Critique)
Wednesday: Blog, Write
Thursday: Critique
Friday: Write
Saturday: Toss up... Write or Blog or Critique or none at all
Sunday: Toss up

Technically, I'm still writing every day... but this gives me better structure. So far this week, it has worked really well.

Challenge Day 4

So, while blogging is one of my options, I'm not going to do it everyday. However, when I am here, I'm going going to fill in my progress.

May 25, 2010 -- Entry #2 I have completed:

Blogging –
Critiquing – YES
Writing – YES
Other –

Comments: This is a friends book, not from my regular critique group. I'm very excited. It's a wonderful YA fantasy. I did kind of go into critique overload... I just sent him my first notes Yesterday (May 27). I'm hoping it's helpful and not discouraging. That's the tough thing about critiquing. You never know what is too much or not enough. I want him to succeed. It's a fabulous story.

May 26, 2010 -- Entry #3 I have completed:

Blogging –
Critiquing –
Own Project – YES
Other –

I did some notebook writing on Truthseekers. Sometimes when I've procrastinating, it helps me get through it by turning off the computer and using pen and paper. That way at least I'm still following my challenge :).

May 27, 2010 -- Entry #4 I have completed:

Blogging – YES
Critiquing –
Own Project –
Other –

I’ve just discovered a new character. Dreyga’s wife. Not sure if she’s going to stay, or if she’ll be anywhere but this one scene. Not even sure what her name should be. But I was thinking no one is married, but Lucus. Hmmmm… that just doesn’t seem right. So I’ve been writing it down in my spiral notebook. Sometimes I do better with a pen then a keyboard. So, while Dreyga is trying to figure out the strange book that the professor gave him, and his wife comes in to see why he’s up so late. I still want Azarel to appear, and I’m not sure how that’s going to happen, but I think his wife needs to be introduces. I’ll have to wait and see if it works.

So there's my update... so far so good :) on to Day 5, 6, 7...

Write Every Day Challenge

Official Day #1

This was the theme of our OWFI writer’s conference this year. I must confess, I didn’t get on the bandwagon until now. I always seem to be one-step behind… something else I need to work on.

I’ve given myself a challenge similar to the one we’ve study at church this last month. I’m going to do something with writing everyday for 30 days. Why? Well, because I need a strategy, a boost, a goal, an incentive, practice, discipline, courage, stamina, perseverance… need I say more?

The categories include blogging, working on my own projects, critiquing, and anything else that comes to mind as I go along. Research might be a good thing to add as well… who knows…

Entry #1 I have completed:

Blogging – YES
Critiquing – YES
Own Project –
Other –

If I can answer YES to one or more of the above categories, I will consider it a successful day. Length and time are not issues for me. I have a tendency to make things difficult, that’s why I’m still here, unpublished and nothing to show for the years I’ve worked on the same project.

Long Term Goal: To work at least 5 days out of the week on any of the above categories.

New Future Goal: Finish Truthseekers.

Other Goals: Dust of earlier projects and see what can be done with them. Lily among the Thorns is one I need to open up again.

So, here I go. Day 1 done… On to day 2…

The Writing Bug

Ever since my writer's conference a couple of weeks ago, the writing bug has been buzzing around my house. Definitely for me, but surprisingly more so for everyone else. In one night all three of the men in my house wanted to know how to use my laptop... yes they didn't know how to use my laptop... and all three of them started stories.

Noah has a reading disability that effects comprehension, therefore everything else that has to do with words. I could see he was struggling with it, so I suggest I be his transcriber. His story is based upon the Destination Truth SyFy television series. It's amazing to see what great imagination he has. I hate that his reading problem slows him down.

Josh, my youngest is writing a story along the lines of The Thing, or CHUD, if anyone remembers that movie :) It's about a mutant teddy bear that lives in an alley, and can cause severe damage if not give Mt. Dew as a gift.

My husband, Steve, is writing a story about a Marine opt group over in Iraq (of course). Once a jarhead always a jarhead (hoo-rah).

Like with everything else my husband finds interesting, he has plunged into this whole-heartily and head strong. He is my bull in a china shop. He is very competitive. He is my first real student since I've learned all I've learned about writing. We'll just have to see how far I can take this... we've lasted worst things in our 18 years together... this should be a piece of cake... ???

First lesson: It's a rough draft. It's not going to be perfect. It's not even going to look remotely like this when you're done. Get it down on paper. Hogtie your inner editor and stuff them in a closet. It's the time to write. Write everything. Don't turn back until you've written down every possible thought you can have about this story. Write, write, write, write, write.

We'll see how this goes :)

Truthseekers Update

I'm happy to say Truthseekers is making good progress. I am over halfway done with this draft. I have filled in much of what I wanted in the first half, and there have been a couple of chapters I'm happy to say I don't need to touch (until my critique group gets a hold of them).

I discovered another nugget the other day. It's one of those things that hit me when I'm either in the car or the shower. My best scenes have hit me in both places. I discovered that Lord Morgan and Sir Malaki are brothers. I was thinking about some of the names, and how in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, siblings have names that either sound similar or start with the same letter. I switched it up with Lord Zelphrey (Lord Morgan's grandfather), and made his older brother Zaphron. Then it hit me, I can't remember now exactly why, but what if Lord Morgan was the younger of two brothers, like his father had been. Instead of having his older brother deceased, I discovered he was disowned. I'm thinking it was about the time of the War of Liberation. Malaki fell for the lure of a young maiden, and tried to sabotage his family and land. He was found out before it was too late, and disowned and cast out of Glendolan. Morgan in turn would take the proverbial torch and pass down the knowledge that should have gone to the first born, but was unworthy of it. Malaki is ambition enough to make a name for himself, and never tells anyone where he came from... expect Queen Madalyn knows. It is specifically why she has used him for all of these years...

So, I'm thinking about working that into the story. It would work just fine without it, but it adds a level of intrigue I really like...

Current Reads

I'm currently reading the Books of Ember series written by Jeanne DuPrau. I just finished City of Ember and I am now on "The People of Sparks". I have to admit it didn't grab me right off the bat. I saw the movie first, then read the book. The movie did a good job of keeping to the story, but it also added a bit more excitement in places that the book didn't.

Then I started seeing it through my dad's eyes. He's a great storyteller. He used to tell me stories when I was sick or couldn't sleep, giving me his take on all the details. When I saw it through his eyes, I didn't feel bogged down by too much description and not enough action... I saw a strange and unstable world on the brink of darkness. I saw that no matter what they did to save and fix things, it wasn't enough, because it was time to let go and move on. Then the action picked up and I couldn't put it down. Everything that was described fell into place. This world Ms. DuPrau has made is absolutely alive.

My favorite part was when Poppy accidentally found the journal. It was the one and only glimpse as to how Ember began... and it could have easily been missed and never known...

The City of Embers was a wonderful adventure and I cannot wait to finish The People of Sparks.

Books are like food...

Books are like food. They can leave a bad taste in your mouth or give you a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach... or they can be exactly what you were looking for and taste so good going down you don't ever want to stop eating.

I just finished a novel that will stick to my ribs for a long time. It is called The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. It's a step away from my comfort zone, which has been YA fantasy or the classics like Jany Eyre... I don't read much adult literature, because it doesn't satisfy me like other genres do.

Oh... but this book... is good enough to eat a second time.

I'm only going to say it's a historical novel set in the early 1900's on Canada's side of the Niagra Falls. It has a love story that puts the best love stories to shame. Tom and Bess are right up there with Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester... even Edward and Bella... It's what a love story should be... I am not going to say anything more, you just have to read it for yourself.

Yet another draft

I sat down to work on Truthseekers this morning, and realized there is still so much to be done. I'm working on my 2nd official draft, even though I think this is the 3rd or 4th time completely through. Well, I decided to created an official 3rd draft, because of some things I want to take out, but don't want to loose completely.

I'm a sucker for back story. I love it, love it, love it. As a new and up-and-coming writer, I should run away from it as fast as possible, not even looking back. (Who wants to end up a pillar of salt?)


BUT... I don't want to loose my back story, so that's why I'm starting a new draft.


BUT... I can't actually let myself go back and fix it now, because I'm trying something I learned at my OWFI writer's conference this weekend. Jory Sherman led a seminar on The Magic of Writing. One thing, among many, that stuck out for me was this: Basically, he said you just got to get it down on paper. Finish it all the way through. Don't look back until your done.

Of course, I've heard this before... I've bound and gagged my inner editor a few times, but that was in the early stages of this story. I never considered tying her up now... but I think I will, because I really, really, really want to get through this last rewrite.

I've added scene's and characters that are just waiting to show themselves and I'm dawdling on stuff I've already done. So... I will go back and take care of my "back story" issues when I've finished saving the world (yet again).

Writing

I'm starting out with my favorite quote about writing:

Writing is easy. All you have to do is stare at a piece of paper until your forehead bleeds. --Douglas Adams

I love writing. I love reading to myself. I love to read out loud. I love to listen to audiobooks while I work. I love telling stories.

I am here to chronicle my journey down this strange and wonderous road. I have my ups and downs, my ins and outs. I may not show up for months at a time, then I may not be able to stop blogging once I get here.

I have learned many things since I started writing back in Mrs. Piersall's third grade class, but I still feel very much the novice.

I am here to learn. I am here to share. I am here to encourage. I am here to write.