Finally, a good editing session. Why is it that sometimes I'm filled with anxiety--so scared I can barely put two words together, and other days I'm not? This morning, for whatever reason, fear did not dominate me.
It was such a relief.
I have trouble with faith. How many times have I had these cycles in confidence when it comes to writing? I'd go back to the beginning of this blog and count, but it'd be too way too depressing and embarrassing. The thing is, I always come out of the low phases, but when I'm stuck, it's so difficult to believe that the words will ever flow again.
Today they did. Why, I don't know. But it was fun again.
Phew!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Floundering in a pile of...
I knew this would happen.
You might remember that I typically write scene by scene--I expel a first draft of crap, spend a copious amount of time revising and polishing it until the scene is in pretty good shape, then move on to the next one and start all over again. Scenes range in length from five to ten pages, and the longer ones are tougher because they take weeks sometimes to get just right.
You might also remember that I abandoned this scene by scene approach to push through to the end and finish the story. Which was thrilling while I was doing it, and very satisfying, but meant that I ended up with a gigantic pile of...okay I won't be crass this time...less-than stellar writing to revise.
When I typed my handwritten pile of you-know-what into the computer, it was 25 pages. Now, after editing it for the last couple of months [*gasp* Has it been that long?], it has grown to 37 pages--27 of which I've already edited and 10 more pages of dreck that still need to be revised and fine tuned. While I enjoy certain aspects of editing, I'm getting tired of only editing. One of the things I liked about the scene by scene approach is that I was able to flip-flop back and forth between editing and drafting. Lately I've missed the creative surprises that pop up regularly during the drafting phase.
Oh well. I'd better get used to editing. Once I finish these last scenes, I'll read through the whole manuscript to correct any inconsistencies and slash out everything unnecessary. (Did I mention it is over 500 pages?) Then I'll give it to a few wonderful, selfless people who've volunteered to be my beta readers, and I'll revise it again based on their comments. Once it's as perfect as I can make it, I'll start submitting it to literary agents, which if I'm lucky, will lead to many more edits and revisions as it makes its way through the publishing process.
So there's a lot of editing in my future. Which is kind of cool when you think about it! After all, I've been working to really hard to get to this exact point.
You know what? I'm going to stop complaining now, and get back to editing. It's really not that bad! ;o)
You might remember that I typically write scene by scene--I expel a first draft of crap, spend a copious amount of time revising and polishing it until the scene is in pretty good shape, then move on to the next one and start all over again. Scenes range in length from five to ten pages, and the longer ones are tougher because they take weeks sometimes to get just right.
You might also remember that I abandoned this scene by scene approach to push through to the end and finish the story. Which was thrilling while I was doing it, and very satisfying, but meant that I ended up with a gigantic pile of...okay I won't be crass this time...less-than stellar writing to revise.
When I typed my handwritten pile of you-know-what into the computer, it was 25 pages. Now, after editing it for the last couple of months [*gasp* Has it been that long?], it has grown to 37 pages--27 of which I've already edited and 10 more pages of dreck that still need to be revised and fine tuned. While I enjoy certain aspects of editing, I'm getting tired of only editing. One of the things I liked about the scene by scene approach is that I was able to flip-flop back and forth between editing and drafting. Lately I've missed the creative surprises that pop up regularly during the drafting phase.
Oh well. I'd better get used to editing. Once I finish these last scenes, I'll read through the whole manuscript to correct any inconsistencies and slash out everything unnecessary. (Did I mention it is over 500 pages?) Then I'll give it to a few wonderful, selfless people who've volunteered to be my beta readers, and I'll revise it again based on their comments. Once it's as perfect as I can make it, I'll start submitting it to literary agents, which if I'm lucky, will lead to many more edits and revisions as it makes its way through the publishing process.
So there's a lot of editing in my future. Which is kind of cool when you think about it! After all, I've been working to really hard to get to this exact point.
You know what? I'm going to stop complaining now, and get back to editing. It's really not that bad! ;o)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Balance
Please bear with the following stream-of-consciousness blogging... (It's all I'm up to at the moment.)
I've been struggling with balance lately. It's a chronic struggle--how to give enough attention to everything and not neglect anything.
For example, my daughter wants to be a Girl Scout. I was a Girl Scout growing up and loved it and I know my daughter would love it too. So, what's the problem? The waiting list for troops is so long, the only way she can be a Girl Scout is if I volunteer to be a leader and start up a new troop. But aren't I trying to finish a novel? If I take on something new, it'll be that much harder to squeeze in writing time. Still it would be fun to do Girl Scouts with my daughter. Before long she'll be grown and interested in other things and I don't want to miss out on what could be a wonderful experience with her. So I've sent in my leader application and will soon have one more thing to balance along with everything else.
Finding a balance has been especially tough recently for many reasons: We've done lots of traveling lately; School just started up again; There have been more than the usual number of distractions.
As a result, I've lost my writing focus. I find I'm an all or nothing sort of person. Moderation is not my strength. So, as my thoughts and energies have turned towards other areas of my life, my drive to write has weakened. And it's so easy to be distracted from the novel right now because I'm in the midst of a tough section. The end needs to be powerful and it takes a lot of effort to get it the way I want it. Not to mention my insecurity is poking up its ugly head yet again. Being almost done means the moment of truth is almost at hand. Others will be reading my novel in the near future.
Unless I let myself get so distracted I never finish.
No! I want to finish. Sure it's scary and difficult, but I've spent too much time and energy on this story. I won't cheat myself by wimping out at the end.
So, I'm going to put more energy into finding that balance. I want to finish my novel. I want to be available to my kids and family. It's got to be possible to do both, don't you think?
(If you managed to wade your way through this brain dump... thank you! I'll try to compose something more coherent soon.)
I've been struggling with balance lately. It's a chronic struggle--how to give enough attention to everything and not neglect anything.
For example, my daughter wants to be a Girl Scout. I was a Girl Scout growing up and loved it and I know my daughter would love it too. So, what's the problem? The waiting list for troops is so long, the only way she can be a Girl Scout is if I volunteer to be a leader and start up a new troop. But aren't I trying to finish a novel? If I take on something new, it'll be that much harder to squeeze in writing time. Still it would be fun to do Girl Scouts with my daughter. Before long she'll be grown and interested in other things and I don't want to miss out on what could be a wonderful experience with her. So I've sent in my leader application and will soon have one more thing to balance along with everything else.
Finding a balance has been especially tough recently for many reasons: We've done lots of traveling lately; School just started up again; There have been more than the usual number of distractions.
As a result, I've lost my writing focus. I find I'm an all or nothing sort of person. Moderation is not my strength. So, as my thoughts and energies have turned towards other areas of my life, my drive to write has weakened. And it's so easy to be distracted from the novel right now because I'm in the midst of a tough section. The end needs to be powerful and it takes a lot of effort to get it the way I want it. Not to mention my insecurity is poking up its ugly head yet again. Being almost done means the moment of truth is almost at hand. Others will be reading my novel in the near future.
Unless I let myself get so distracted I never finish.
No! I want to finish. Sure it's scary and difficult, but I've spent too much time and energy on this story. I won't cheat myself by wimping out at the end.
So, I'm going to put more energy into finding that balance. I want to finish my novel. I want to be available to my kids and family. It's got to be possible to do both, don't you think?
(If you managed to wade your way through this brain dump... thank you! I'll try to compose something more coherent soon.)
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Links!
I've updated my links list at last: friends, other writers, good reading...it's all there. Oh and if you know anyone who is looking for an adoptive family, check out my sister and brother-in-law's web site. They are wonderful people!
On the writing front, I'm still editing those last scenes. My progress has stalled somewhat thanks to a kidney stone, which I had over the weekend, and a migraine, which I had Monday and Tuesday. But today I'm pain free and am hoping to make some good progress. Surprisingly, it's a lot easier to edit when one isn't in agony. Go figure!
On the writing front, I'm still editing those last scenes. My progress has stalled somewhat thanks to a kidney stone, which I had over the weekend, and a migraine, which I had Monday and Tuesday. But today I'm pain free and am hoping to make some good progress. Surprisingly, it's a lot easier to edit when one isn't in agony. Go figure!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
There's nothing wrong with being earnest
Yesterday as I was googling, I came across this: The Process of Being Mentally Ill, Part One. It's from Joshilyn Jackson's blog: Faster Than Kudzu and describes, in extensive, witty detail, the mental breakdown stage of novel writing...at least from one author's perspective.
Read it. It's both comforting and hilarious at the same time.
Small world, the internet. Faster Than Kudzu is the first writer's blog I ever read. I came across it about 2 years ago when Jackson's first novel Gods in Alabama was about to be published. To be honest, her blog scared me away from writer's blogs for a long time. Why? My own insecurities of course! I found Faster Than Kudzu to be clever, entertaining, informative, and completely intimidating. After reading a couple of entries, I thought if this is what real writers have to be able to do, I don't have a prayer.
Joshilyn Jackson is cool and honest and funny. I'm earnest and a dork. The thing I've come to realize, however, is that there are lots of writers out there and just as many types of writers. Sure there are those who enjoy cool, honest, funny writing, but there might be a place for the earnest dorks of the world as well. And even if there isn't, it doesn't mean that I can't write or that I shouldn't write. (Yes, I'm trying to bolster myself up here.)
It's interesting, coming back to her blog now that she has two books out. (The second is called: Between, Georgia) She's developed quite a following. I think it's a good example of how a writer can use a blog help publicize herself. (Although, I doubt generating publicity was the reason she started blogging, or why she keeps at it.)
Obviously, I don't have a problem with writer's blogs anymore. In fact, I now follow several. (Note to self: Make a list of links!) I'm not sure my confidence level is quite high enough to regularly read Faster Than Kudzu, but I'm sure I'll be up to it eventually.
Read it. It's both comforting and hilarious at the same time.
Small world, the internet. Faster Than Kudzu is the first writer's blog I ever read. I came across it about 2 years ago when Jackson's first novel Gods in Alabama was about to be published. To be honest, her blog scared me away from writer's blogs for a long time. Why? My own insecurities of course! I found Faster Than Kudzu to be clever, entertaining, informative, and completely intimidating. After reading a couple of entries, I thought if this is what real writers have to be able to do, I don't have a prayer.
Joshilyn Jackson is cool and honest and funny. I'm earnest and a dork. The thing I've come to realize, however, is that there are lots of writers out there and just as many types of writers. Sure there are those who enjoy cool, honest, funny writing, but there might be a place for the earnest dorks of the world as well. And even if there isn't, it doesn't mean that I can't write or that I shouldn't write. (Yes, I'm trying to bolster myself up here.)
It's interesting, coming back to her blog now that she has two books out. (The second is called: Between, Georgia) She's developed quite a following. I think it's a good example of how a writer can use a blog help publicize herself. (Although, I doubt generating publicity was the reason she started blogging, or why she keeps at it.)
Obviously, I don't have a problem with writer's blogs anymore. In fact, I now follow several. (Note to self: Make a list of links!) I'm not sure my confidence level is quite high enough to regularly read Faster Than Kudzu, but I'm sure I'll be up to it eventually.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Two-thirds more
I've edited about a third of the notebook scrawl. My goal, if you remember, was to get it all revised by the end of the month. It might still be possible. The family and I just returned from Maui (sorry!) and I'd hoped to get a lot of work done during our trip, but surprise, surprise, I wasn't able to do as much as I'd hoped. Now that I'm home, I should be able to make better progress.
Speaking of progress, the kids are playing quietly, so I'd better take advantage and get back at it!
More soon...
Speaking of progress, the kids are playing quietly, so I'd better take advantage and get back at it!
More soon...
Monday, July 03, 2006
done...sort of
I'm sort of done...but not really. I did finish the story, but now I have all these notebook pages of SFD (shitty first draft) to type into the computer and try to craft into something decent.
It's finally starting to dawn on me, though, that SFDs are okay, and so far I haven't had too much anxiety during the revision process. For example, check out this quote from a recent Laurie R. King blog entry:
Rewriting is where the serious work occurs. There's nothing wrong with rewriting--on the contrary, it's an essential part of the process. When this section of my book is finally complete, no one will know the sorry state it was in when it was first conceived. It's okay that it reads like crap right now. I can make it better. (I know I've said all this before, but I'm hoping this time my feeble brain will finally accept it as truth!)
In related news, I made the possible mistake of setting another goal. This time to get the polish/edit of my notebook scribblings finished by the end of July. I think it's possible, but lord knows I haven't always done the best job of estimating realistic time frames. I'll give it my best shot, though.
Oh and after over three years, I finally have a title for my novel. It's not set in stone, but for now it feels right.
I'm still inching along, but I'm getting there!
It's finally starting to dawn on me, though, that SFDs are okay, and so far I haven't had too much anxiety during the revision process. For example, check out this quote from a recent Laurie R. King blog entry:
...when a beginning writer looks at a book like THE ART OF DETECTION they often say, “I couldn’t write a book like that.” And I have to agree, I couldn’t either.
But I could rewrite a book like that.
Rewriting is where the serious work occurs. There's nothing wrong with rewriting--on the contrary, it's an essential part of the process. When this section of my book is finally complete, no one will know the sorry state it was in when it was first conceived. It's okay that it reads like crap right now. I can make it better. (I know I've said all this before, but I'm hoping this time my feeble brain will finally accept it as truth!)
In related news, I made the possible mistake of setting another goal. This time to get the polish/edit of my notebook scribblings finished by the end of July. I think it's possible, but lord knows I haven't always done the best job of estimating realistic time frames. I'll give it my best shot, though.
Oh and after over three years, I finally have a title for my novel. It's not set in stone, but for now it feels right.
I'm still inching along, but I'm getting there!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Antsy
I'm antsy and jittery and it's not from coffee.
My story is so close to being complete. I know I've said that before, but this time it's true, I swear! I'll should finish it today--maybe tomorrow at the latest. Yeah, yeah, yeah, then I have to go back and revise and polish--but still...it's exciting.
And I'm going to send out a short story I wrote two years ago. It's been rejected from three magazines so far and has been languishing for months in another journal's slush pile with no word as to its fate, so I think the time has come to dust it off and submit it somewhere else. I'm going over it again, and tweaking it slightly (just word changes here and there, no alterations to the story) and want to get it in the mail to another lit journal today or tomorrow. It'd be nice to have a publishing credit when I start sending out queries for my novel. (Well, a more relevant publishing credit than the parenting articles and a more recent credit than the story published in Jack and Jill magazine when I was 10.)
Did I mention my daughter's 7th birthday is tomorrow and I still need to finish shopping, clean the house, and decorate for her party?
No wonder I'm antsy!
My story is so close to being complete. I know I've said that before, but this time it's true, I swear! I'll should finish it today--maybe tomorrow at the latest. Yeah, yeah, yeah, then I have to go back and revise and polish--but still...it's exciting.
And I'm going to send out a short story I wrote two years ago. It's been rejected from three magazines so far and has been languishing for months in another journal's slush pile with no word as to its fate, so I think the time has come to dust it off and submit it somewhere else. I'm going over it again, and tweaking it slightly (just word changes here and there, no alterations to the story) and want to get it in the mail to another lit journal today or tomorrow. It'd be nice to have a publishing credit when I start sending out queries for my novel. (Well, a more relevant publishing credit than the parenting articles and a more recent credit than the story published in Jack and Jill magazine when I was 10.)
Did I mention my daughter's 7th birthday is tomorrow and I still need to finish shopping, clean the house, and decorate for her party?
No wonder I'm antsy!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tri no more
I've fallen out of the blogging groove. There's lots I could say, but I'm not always in the mood to say it.
The good news is I haven't fallen out of the writing groove: I'm writing away as usual. Last week we went camping and I wrote every day in a notebook, sitting in a beach chair by the American River. Talk about a picturesque writing spot! The notebook writing was so enjoyable, I decided to keep it going, even though I'm now back in civilization. It's good right now, because the story is sweeping me along faster than that American River (which is both high and swift thanks to all of that late spring snow and rain) and I want to follow it to the end--which is coming, believe it or not, in the next couple of days. However, I could be setting myself up for weeks of hell as I revise and polish all of those pages of notebook scrawl and I'm sure I'll come to regret abandoning the scene by scene method I've used up until this point. Right now, however, it feels good to charge forward to the end.
On a not-completely-related note, I think I'm going to give up on a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year. I'd planned to do a women's sprint triathlon in September, but now I'm thinking I just don't have the time if I'm ever going to get this novel finished. The thing is, I can do my Body for Life workouts while I'm taking care of the kids. (I'm an expert at gasping, "I can't talk right now Honey, but I'll tell you in a minute," when the kids ask me a question mid-weightlifting set, and slapping together peanut butter sandwiches during the one-minute breaks between sets), but in order to train for a triathlon, I'd need to utilize my babysitting network, and I want to reserve them for uninterrupted daylight writing sessions. I still want to do the triathlon, but I'm thinking next year makes more sense. I'm kind of bummed, since I was really looking forward to the challenge of swimming, biking, and running all in one race, but as much as I'd like to prepare for a triathlon while finishing a novel, it's not realistic to do both.
One time-consuming, selfish goal at a time!
The good news is I haven't fallen out of the writing groove: I'm writing away as usual. Last week we went camping and I wrote every day in a notebook, sitting in a beach chair by the American River. Talk about a picturesque writing spot! The notebook writing was so enjoyable, I decided to keep it going, even though I'm now back in civilization. It's good right now, because the story is sweeping me along faster than that American River (which is both high and swift thanks to all of that late spring snow and rain) and I want to follow it to the end--which is coming, believe it or not, in the next couple of days. However, I could be setting myself up for weeks of hell as I revise and polish all of those pages of notebook scrawl and I'm sure I'll come to regret abandoning the scene by scene method I've used up until this point. Right now, however, it feels good to charge forward to the end.
On a not-completely-related note, I think I'm going to give up on a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year. I'd planned to do a women's sprint triathlon in September, but now I'm thinking I just don't have the time if I'm ever going to get this novel finished. The thing is, I can do my Body for Life workouts while I'm taking care of the kids. (I'm an expert at gasping, "I can't talk right now Honey, but I'll tell you in a minute," when the kids ask me a question mid-weightlifting set, and slapping together peanut butter sandwiches during the one-minute breaks between sets), but in order to train for a triathlon, I'd need to utilize my babysitting network, and I want to reserve them for uninterrupted daylight writing sessions. I still want to do the triathlon, but I'm thinking next year makes more sense. I'm kind of bummed, since I was really looking forward to the challenge of swimming, biking, and running all in one race, but as much as I'd like to prepare for a triathlon while finishing a novel, it's not realistic to do both.
One time-consuming, selfish goal at a time!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Rest Time Writing Revisited
Did I mention it's summer vacation? No school...less me time. Actually, it's okay. I really love having the kids around and that our schedule is more relaxed. But I need to find some more time to write. So I think it's time to bring rest time out of retirement. The swimming bribe worked pretty well the other day, but it's unseasonably cool right now, so I can't use that strategy again until it warms up.
It's okay. I have lots of ideas! Today, we'll go rent Ice Age from the video store. They haven't seen it yet, and it should keep them reasonably occupied for 90 minutes or so. Then tomorrow we can go see Ice Age 2 at our local theater (it's part of their free summer movie series). And I'm going to be a big weirdo and bring my lap top to the theater and write during the movie.
That'll be a first--writing in a movie theater, that is. I'm often a big weirdo. (No surprise there!)
It's okay. I have lots of ideas! Today, we'll go rent Ice Age from the video store. They haven't seen it yet, and it should keep them reasonably occupied for 90 minutes or so. Then tomorrow we can go see Ice Age 2 at our local theater (it's part of their free summer movie series). And I'm going to be a big weirdo and bring my lap top to the theater and write during the movie.
That'll be a first--writing in a movie theater, that is. I'm often a big weirdo. (No surprise there!)
Monday, June 12, 2006
Jogging
Still jogging along, trying not to panic. A new scene I wasn't expecting cropped up yesterday. It's good for the story but it means I have more to do than I thought. As Stuart Smalley would say, "And that's...okay!" (Have I quoted Stuart, yet? I'll have to do a search of my past entries and see.)
I stumbled across a blog the other day belonging to an author I really enjoy, Laurie R. King. She recently did something exceptionally brave, in my opinion--she started a short story live on the web. It was an exercise to demonstrate the writing process and what a first draft tends to look like--even if it's the first draft written by an established, award winning author. She plans to post both the first draft and the final version of the story (when completed) on her web site.
Check it out: Writer's Improv
I stumbled across a blog the other day belonging to an author I really enjoy, Laurie R. King. She recently did something exceptionally brave, in my opinion--she started a short story live on the web. It was an exercise to demonstrate the writing process and what a first draft tends to look like--even if it's the first draft written by an established, award winning author. She plans to post both the first draft and the final version of the story (when completed) on her web site.
Check it out: Writer's Improv
Friday, June 09, 2006
Better
Things went much better yesterday and again during my early morning writing session this morning. The words flowed for the first time in weeks. I finished one section and almost finished another. (Thanks, Mom, for watching the kids yesterday so I could write!)
The kids are going to let me write for an hour this afternoon and then we're going to go swim at our local pool. (As a parent, you sometimes have to resort to bribery!)
I'm feeling more optimistic about it all again. Yay!
The kids are going to let me write for an hour this afternoon and then we're going to go swim at our local pool. (As a parent, you sometimes have to resort to bribery!)
I'm feeling more optimistic about it all again. Yay!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Salieri
Ever seen the movie Amadeus? Remember the character Salieri--who wanted to compose music as beautiful as Mozart's, but didn't have the talent to make it happen? I often feel like Salieri--although not so jealous of someone else's talent that I'd resort to poisoning him or her. It's more that I see the type of writing I want to be able to do, but it's SO hard to get there. And I often don't.
I haven't blogged in almost a month for two reasons:
1. I haven't been making a lot of progress on my novel, and
2. I'm going through another low self-confidence, panicky, who-the-hell-am-I-to-think-I-can-do-this phase.
Do you think the two reasons are related?
Uh, yeah...me too.
I'm trying to write more. I'm trying to force myself to sit down at the computer and forge ahead, even though it is SO hard right now. The end is in site and a lot of baggage comes a long with getting near the end. I know I'll get past it. Heck, half of this blog documents the low phases I've worked past. But that doesn't make things any easier right now.
Warrior Girl wrote a great blog entry about why writing a novel is so difficult.
Writing Past the Demons
See? I'm not the only one!
I haven't blogged in almost a month for two reasons:
1. I haven't been making a lot of progress on my novel, and
2. I'm going through another low self-confidence, panicky, who-the-hell-am-I-to-think-I-can-do-this phase.
Do you think the two reasons are related?
Uh, yeah...me too.
I'm trying to write more. I'm trying to force myself to sit down at the computer and forge ahead, even though it is SO hard right now. The end is in site and a lot of baggage comes a long with getting near the end. I know I'll get past it. Heck, half of this blog documents the low phases I've worked past. But that doesn't make things any easier right now.
Warrior Girl wrote a great blog entry about why writing a novel is so difficult.
Writing Past the Demons
See? I'm not the only one!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
May 9 has come and gone...
...and May 9 was when I hoped to have finished--six months from the day I started this blog. I didn't meet the goal I set back in November, but I have made a lot progress.
Since November 9 I have written 120 pages and come within a couple of scenes of finishing.
In the six months prior to November 9 do you know how many pages I wrote?
28
Now I write regularly, almost every day, which was something I was not doing last fall. I've also dealt with lots of fear and insecurity and pushed through those panicky feelings instead of giving up when things got hard. I realized I'm an artist and quite normal--well, as normal as an artist can be, anyway.
So maybe I didn't get exactly where I wanted to be right now. I'm not done. But I am very close and I have accomplished much more than I probably would have if I hadn't set the goal.
I feel pretty good about that!
Since November 9 I have written 120 pages and come within a couple of scenes of finishing.
In the six months prior to November 9 do you know how many pages I wrote?
28
Now I write regularly, almost every day, which was something I was not doing last fall. I've also dealt with lots of fear and insecurity and pushed through those panicky feelings instead of giving up when things got hard. I realized I'm an artist and quite normal--well, as normal as an artist can be, anyway.
So maybe I didn't get exactly where I wanted to be right now. I'm not done. But I am very close and I have accomplished much more than I probably would have if I hadn't set the goal.
I feel pretty good about that!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Wow
Two scenes to go. Or maybe three. I can't believe how close I'm getting. Of course, at my speed, it could still be a month or so, but wow.
I'm almost done!
I'm almost done!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Omphaloskepsis
My headache is gone and I'm writing away. Life is busy as usual so I don't have much time to blog, but I had to share the newest addition to my word list...
omphaloskepsis
It means, "contemplation of one’s navel".
Perfect title for a blog entry, don't you think?
omphaloskepsis
It means, "contemplation of one’s navel".
Perfect title for a blog entry, don't you think?
Thursday, April 20, 2006
ugh...migraine
i'm knocked flat right now with a migraine
no fun
it's my first bad one since i started my current bfl challenge.
ugh!
i didn't wake up early this morning because i hoped extra sleep would help me shake it...
no such luck
today is a preschool day so maybe i'll do some writing then
or maybe i'll lie in the dark with an ice pack on my head and moan
sorry for the pity party
it just hurts
no fun
it's my first bad one since i started my current bfl challenge.
ugh!
i didn't wake up early this morning because i hoped extra sleep would help me shake it...
no such luck
today is a preschool day so maybe i'll do some writing then
or maybe i'll lie in the dark with an ice pack on my head and moan
sorry for the pity party
it just hurts
Monday, April 17, 2006
It's been a week since my last entry...
...and I want to do a new one, but I don't have much to say. Actually, that's not true, I have a lot to say, but I don't have the time to say it. I want to talk about "the process" of novel writing (and how there really isn't any one process, every writer does it differently) but today is going to be another busy day and there aren't enough spare minutes to do the topic justice.
I also had three great bits of story appear to me recently, which fit in perfectly with what's come before. It's so incredible when that happens. It really feels like these things "appear" out of the thin air and not like I have much to do with creating them. I'd love to write a blog entry about it all. But again, no time!
So we'll have to settle for another boring update on my progress.
My new mantra is "Trust Yourself". And I think it's helping me even out the ups and downs. I haven't had a panicky, paralyzed-with-fear writing session in a while. (Which probably means I'm due for one soon! ;o)
I still feel like I'm moving at slower than a snail's pace with all this, but even snails get somewhere eventually. I've finally accepted the fact that as much as I'd like to sprint to the finish line, I'm not a sprinting type when it comes to writing. So I'll continue to creep along.
Do you know that even this short, boring, uninformative entry has taken me over an hour to put together? Although to be fair to myself, I haven't exactly been uninterrupted--I've also refereed several squabbles, made breakfast, and participated in some extremely intense Easter candy negotiations. Now I'm going to attempt my lower body workout, do the dishes and the vacuuming, and then the kids and I are going to get ready for Scott's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Honey!)
No wonder I can't manage to get in more blog entries!
I also had three great bits of story appear to me recently, which fit in perfectly with what's come before. It's so incredible when that happens. It really feels like these things "appear" out of the thin air and not like I have much to do with creating them. I'd love to write a blog entry about it all. But again, no time!
So we'll have to settle for another boring update on my progress.
My new mantra is "Trust Yourself". And I think it's helping me even out the ups and downs. I haven't had a panicky, paralyzed-with-fear writing session in a while. (Which probably means I'm due for one soon! ;o)
I still feel like I'm moving at slower than a snail's pace with all this, but even snails get somewhere eventually. I've finally accepted the fact that as much as I'd like to sprint to the finish line, I'm not a sprinting type when it comes to writing. So I'll continue to creep along.
Do you know that even this short, boring, uninformative entry has taken me over an hour to put together? Although to be fair to myself, I haven't exactly been uninterrupted--I've also refereed several squabbles, made breakfast, and participated in some extremely intense Easter candy negotiations. Now I'm going to attempt my lower body workout, do the dishes and the vacuuming, and then the kids and I are going to get ready for Scott's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Honey!)
No wonder I can't manage to get in more blog entries!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Weaving the Web
Every step of this novel-writing-process has had its own challenges--issues I never thought about before I tried doing it myself. Right now I'm tying together a lot of loose ends in my story. I know generally what's going to happen but there are still many little decisions that need to be made and I want to be sure it all hangs together in a logical way. It's time to write the big climactic scenes and not only do they need to be air-tight, but all the smaller threads need to connect believably. Motivations have to make sense. Whenever a character does something, especially something risky or unexpected, I need to make sure their motivation for acting that way is believable.
I've used the puzzle analogy before when talking about language and trying to find the right words, but the plot is also a puzzle whose pieces must fit together. And elements rely on each other. So by sending a character down a particular path, countless other parts of the story are affected. It's like a gigantic web--all interconnected.
Believe me, now that I'm writing a novel myself, I can see the temptation to wrap things up as quickly and easily as possible. Sometimes I want to have a character do something that will advance the plot to where I want and expect it to go, even if it doesn't gel perfectly with that character's personality. But I resist, because I know these people so well, it would bug me too much to force them to act a certain way--a way that's out of their character--simply for my convenience.
Clear as mud, eh? Sorry to be so cryptic. It's hard to explain what I mean without describing the story itself. And that's still top secret!
I've used the puzzle analogy before when talking about language and trying to find the right words, but the plot is also a puzzle whose pieces must fit together. And elements rely on each other. So by sending a character down a particular path, countless other parts of the story are affected. It's like a gigantic web--all interconnected.
Believe me, now that I'm writing a novel myself, I can see the temptation to wrap things up as quickly and easily as possible. Sometimes I want to have a character do something that will advance the plot to where I want and expect it to go, even if it doesn't gel perfectly with that character's personality. But I resist, because I know these people so well, it would bug me too much to force them to act a certain way--a way that's out of their character--simply for my convenience.
Clear as mud, eh? Sorry to be so cryptic. It's hard to explain what I mean without describing the story itself. And that's still top secret!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Renée
Renée: this is what my email program does with my name when I spell it with an accent. IRL, I always write my name with the accent on the second-to-last "e", but in cyberspace, I almost never do, because of the Renée issue.
Come to think of it, Renée, might make for an interesting pen name. Kind of like Prince, when he didn't want to be called Prince anymore and wanted to be referred to by that unpronouncable symbol. At least Renée is something people could say.... I'll have to think about it. ;o)
I'm still getting up early. Still writing. Still making progress. Still getting closer and closer to the end.
Still, still, still! It's not very interesting to read about all my stills, perhaps, but still is a good thing. Working on the novel is all very automatic now. It's just something I do. This blog has helped me so much in that regard.
I also just finished week five of my BFL challenge, which I find miraculous considering everything else that is going on.
And I'm also starting to think about what to write next.
Then there's all the wifely and motherly stuff I do.
Wow. When I stand back and look at it all like this, I realize I should be proud, but I'm not. Renée doesn't often give herself credit. Maybe it would be easier for Renée.
I'll put some more thought into the pen name idea.
Come to think of it, Renée, might make for an interesting pen name. Kind of like Prince, when he didn't want to be called Prince anymore and wanted to be referred to by that unpronouncable symbol. At least Renée is something people could say.... I'll have to think about it. ;o)
I'm still getting up early. Still writing. Still making progress. Still getting closer and closer to the end.
Still, still, still! It's not very interesting to read about all my stills, perhaps, but still is a good thing. Working on the novel is all very automatic now. It's just something I do. This blog has helped me so much in that regard.
I also just finished week five of my BFL challenge, which I find miraculous considering everything else that is going on.
And I'm also starting to think about what to write next.
Then there's all the wifely and motherly stuff I do.
Wow. When I stand back and look at it all like this, I realize I should be proud, but I'm not. Renée doesn't often give herself credit. Maybe it would be easier for Renée.
I'll put some more thought into the pen name idea.
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