This past year has been hectic. I'm sure you all know how that is. I will sum it up this way:
Wins:
1. Completion of Novel 1
2. Completion of Novel 2
3. Partial completion of Novel 3
4. Completion of Associates degree
5. Queries sent out for Novels 1 & 2 (both are similar genre but completely different stories)
Losses:
1. As of yet, no publication of any of my works.
2. No real writing done in the past month other than school work
3. Getting more and more in need of some sort of paying job
I love being a full-time student. I love having time to be able to participate in my daughter's school events and schedule weekend group meetings for the writer's group. I just get frustrated with the lack of upward mobility as far as my professional writing life is concerned.
My husband is wonderful. When I get frustrated about writing, he says, "But you love it, right?" Of course I do! "Then that's the most important thing." Yeah, I'm lucky.
Well, Fall semester is almost over and I will have the next month to celebrate the holidays and work on stuff for me. Writing! Exercise! Queries! Yes!
Oh and, a dollar sign is the cheesiest.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Phase 2?
I've been so shamefully inadequate on keeping up with this blog. Especially since (*Trumpet blare*) I have finished my first novel! Yes, book 1 is done. I've gotten 3/4 of the way through editing it and adding where I can, but I feel strongly enough about it that I am going to start sending out query letters! Can you believe it?!? I am finally to a phase where I can try to find someone who wants my novel. I have my first vict...ehem agent targeted and plan on emailing her this week! My two wonderful friends and writing group buddies have agreed to look over the beginning of the story for me one more time to pick out any errors I may have missed and then... away it goes! I'm so nervous/excited/scared/terrified/exuberant! I just can't describe this fear. Rejection? Inevitable. Perseverance? For sure. I will post after I email and continue my rant of terror. In the meantime, real life (what's that?) calls...
Monday, July 19, 2010
School isn't for dummies!
I have been horrendously neglectful of you, my beautiful, unread blog! I started you with the mindset that, with a blog, I would be motivated to write so I could discuss my trials and (many) errors here. And what did I do instead? I got motivated, continued writing and ignored you! Oh the injustice! Oh the random dramatics! Oh the writer's group goodness!
That's right. Not only have I neglected you, I've cheated on you. I've taken my (limited) experiences with me to a very small writer's group. I've been seeing them once a week, but I swear I'm thinking of you the whole time! Okay, that was a blatant lie. I think I've only thought of you once or twice in the three months it has been going on. But it was an accident! I didn't mean for it to happen! I found myself in a Panera Bread, tripped and my fingers just landed on the keyboard, I swear!!! The sweet words and caress of the keyboard were beyond my control: purely instinctual. It was fate. I couldn't stop it.
But I'm here for you now. Despite the school work still pending, I am here. I hope we can renew our passion together and continue on. I hope we can make this work. I'm willing to try. I'm willing to work hard and give you long thought and share intimate words with you. I'm here. Are you?
That's right. Not only have I neglected you, I've cheated on you. I've taken my (limited) experiences with me to a very small writer's group. I've been seeing them once a week, but I swear I'm thinking of you the whole time! Okay, that was a blatant lie. I think I've only thought of you once or twice in the three months it has been going on. But it was an accident! I didn't mean for it to happen! I found myself in a Panera Bread, tripped and my fingers just landed on the keyboard, I swear!!! The sweet words and caress of the keyboard were beyond my control: purely instinctual. It was fate. I couldn't stop it.
But I'm here for you now. Despite the school work still pending, I am here. I hope we can renew our passion together and continue on. I hope we can make this work. I'm willing to try. I'm willing to work hard and give you long thought and share intimate words with you. I'm here. Are you?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Longing glances and HOW much time?!?
I've added little but looked at my little write-up. I'm stumped on one aspect of how the story should go. I know the general plot structure, I have a good grip on my protagonist and antagonist, but I'm not sure about the ending. Normally, that's perfectly okay with me. I don't want to know the exact details of the ending until the words form themselves in my mind and the scene plays out on paper (or Word, but you get the idea). This time the problem is that I don't know if I want a successful resolution of story or just resolution. Do I want a winner? Do I want the protagonist to overcome the conflicts or succumb to them? I just don't know. I am equally a fan of happy and unhappy endings to stories as long as the resolution is complete but I just cannot decide which direction to go and I foresee that being a continuous difficulty for me. I will just have to keep working at it and see what happens. Maybe this will be an instance of the scene coming to light fully formed and perfect (or as perfect as anything could be on a first attempt!).
I've also purchased this book: Is life like this? A guide to Writing Your First Novel in Six Months by John Dufresne. I like that it allows me to acknowledge my failings in writing and understand that they are normal. What I don't like is that he proposes that I spend 3 hours a day writing in order to get the novel complete. Along with that, the first month is to be spent on filling up a notebook with random thoughts and ideas (I do that anyways, doesn't everyone?!?) in order to get to know your characters and allow them to form fully before putting them in their story. I almost like the idea of that, but the 3 hours a day is a bit much. And do you know what he recommends if you have one of those days when you absolutely cannot get those 3 hours out? Make it up on the weekend! I want to write. I want to finish one of my novels. I do not, however, in any way have 3 hours to give up EVERY day. Unless I want to cut out 3 hours of sleep or never see my family, it is just not happening! I have school (which eats ALL of the extra moments of my day, I might add). I have family obligations that cannot be ignored in order to commit 3 hours. I know if Mr. Dufresne were reading this, he would say I am making excuses. I acknowledge that, to anyone not living my life, it certainly sounds that way. It is not, though. He cites people's addiction to television, social lives, etc. which I do not have. I have the unfortunate prioritizing of time that does not allow me time with friends but (at best!) once a month for a lunch or cup of coffee! Television is what is on as I'm falling asleep having exhausted my brain studying. I want to write, but how do I schedule that time in when I don't have the time to finish what I already have on my plate? Reading his entries or just writing this is frustrating me by churning these thoughts around. Great, off into a dramatic fit of miserable pessimism. Good grief.
I've also purchased this book: Is life like this? A guide to Writing Your First Novel in Six Months by John Dufresne. I like that it allows me to acknowledge my failings in writing and understand that they are normal. What I don't like is that he proposes that I spend 3 hours a day writing in order to get the novel complete. Along with that, the first month is to be spent on filling up a notebook with random thoughts and ideas (I do that anyways, doesn't everyone?!?) in order to get to know your characters and allow them to form fully before putting them in their story. I almost like the idea of that, but the 3 hours a day is a bit much. And do you know what he recommends if you have one of those days when you absolutely cannot get those 3 hours out? Make it up on the weekend! I want to write. I want to finish one of my novels. I do not, however, in any way have 3 hours to give up EVERY day. Unless I want to cut out 3 hours of sleep or never see my family, it is just not happening! I have school (which eats ALL of the extra moments of my day, I might add). I have family obligations that cannot be ignored in order to commit 3 hours. I know if Mr. Dufresne were reading this, he would say I am making excuses. I acknowledge that, to anyone not living my life, it certainly sounds that way. It is not, though. He cites people's addiction to television, social lives, etc. which I do not have. I have the unfortunate prioritizing of time that does not allow me time with friends but (at best!) once a month for a lunch or cup of coffee! Television is what is on as I'm falling asleep having exhausted my brain studying. I want to write, but how do I schedule that time in when I don't have the time to finish what I already have on my plate? Reading his entries or just writing this is frustrating me by churning these thoughts around. Great, off into a dramatic fit of miserable pessimism. Good grief.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Shamed into posting...
Don't you just hate it when a friend starts a blog and it reminds you that you have a blog just sitting there without new posts? Yeah...
I can say I've written, though. Two days ago, in fact. And no, I'm not talking about a letter (do those still exist?!?), email or shopping list. Part of a story. Indeed! The short story I started last August, in fact. I remembered that one of the contests that I enter on an almost-quarterly basis was coming to deadline and thought I might want to send out a fresh piece of work! I didn't pull out the story as I had already written but instead chose a scene that had been playing in mind and sat down to put pen to paper. Okay, no pen because I would then have to rewrite it in an electronic format for filing, printing, posting and sending. That's just an extra step that really slows me down. I wish I was old-school enough to be able to tolerate hand writing ANYTHING, but it just doesn't work for me. My brain does not allow me to write quickly enough to keep up with the story via pen and paper.
Anyways, I do feel I progressed a bit. I want to get some (dreaded) school work done this evening, but I'm hoping when I'm done to have a numb enough brain to prevent thought from impeding the writing process. I've posted before that I don't believe in writer's block, but I do believe we can think ourselves into a writer's block type situation. It is like so many things in life: You cannot force yourself to be creative. You can force yourself to take the time to allow for your creative thought to process, but you cannot force the perfect story, painting or whatnot. So, I must wait for blurry thoughts. Perhaps I should just have a glass of wine? Lol
I can say I've written, though. Two days ago, in fact. And no, I'm not talking about a letter (do those still exist?!?), email or shopping list. Part of a story. Indeed! The short story I started last August, in fact. I remembered that one of the contests that I enter on an almost-quarterly basis was coming to deadline and thought I might want to send out a fresh piece of work! I didn't pull out the story as I had already written but instead chose a scene that had been playing in mind and sat down to put pen to paper. Okay, no pen because I would then have to rewrite it in an electronic format for filing, printing, posting and sending. That's just an extra step that really slows me down. I wish I was old-school enough to be able to tolerate hand writing ANYTHING, but it just doesn't work for me. My brain does not allow me to write quickly enough to keep up with the story via pen and paper.
Anyways, I do feel I progressed a bit. I want to get some (dreaded) school work done this evening, but I'm hoping when I'm done to have a numb enough brain to prevent thought from impeding the writing process. I've posted before that I don't believe in writer's block, but I do believe we can think ourselves into a writer's block type situation. It is like so many things in life: You cannot force yourself to be creative. You can force yourself to take the time to allow for your creative thought to process, but you cannot force the perfect story, painting or whatnot. So, I must wait for blurry thoughts. Perhaps I should just have a glass of wine? Lol
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Behind schedule
Big surprise, right? With how much I keep up this blog, its not really surprising that writing is slow-going at best. The thing is, I know this short story I'm working on will be great if I can just get it all out! It feels like a good, unique story. Unique stories are hard to come by. Most ideas are recycled in some way or another. Think about how many times/ways Romeo and Juliette has been done!
One thing I notice when I write Sci-Fi is that I feel ever so slightly out of my element. It feels more like faking it (see the previous post for quote on "faking it"). I also worry that I'll be writing about something that I only have minimal knowledge of. Certain scientific aspects of a story need to be real. If you base a whole Sci-Fi story on a theory, you want the theory to be believable. The more believable and based in fact, the better the story has the ability to be.
Well, hopefully I will finish this story THIS week so that next week I can return to my baby and see if I can make it grow some. Okay, not MAKE it...help it along. 8)
One thing I notice when I write Sci-Fi is that I feel ever so slightly out of my element. It feels more like faking it (see the previous post for quote on "faking it"). I also worry that I'll be writing about something that I only have minimal knowledge of. Certain scientific aspects of a story need to be real. If you base a whole Sci-Fi story on a theory, you want the theory to be believable. The more believable and based in fact, the better the story has the ability to be.
Well, hopefully I will finish this story THIS week so that next week I can return to my baby and see if I can make it grow some. Okay, not MAKE it...help it along. 8)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Writing is like running for me..
...You know you're going to feel good once you get going or when you finish, but man, those first couple of steps are a major undertaking. I enjoy writing. I enjoy running (or physical activities). Both are things I always have to get myself revved up to do. I have to sit here and talk myself into it. Someone reading this might think, "If its such an effort, why do you do it?" Because of the joy I get when I've completed what I set out to do. The process is great, too, don't get me wrong. Once I get going, I'm all in.
Despite that, those first steps are a constant struggle. With running, and writing to a degree, its just laziness. I think with writing though and not running, it is some inherent desire to underachieve. Makes no sense, right?
I've noticed in my life that there are points when I freeze up or turn to run the opposite direction. Fear of commitment? Maybe in some ways (though I'm quite happily married, fyi).. I think its more a desire to see that things don't change. Sort of like I'm afraid of change. Once I do change, its all good, but getting there is a struggle with myself.
Writing is a struggle with myself. I fear the failure as much as the success. When I write something and send it off, I am all hope and joy and nervous anticipation. When I sit down to put idea to paper and flesh things out, I'm just nervous.
An author I've been reading, Diana Pharaoh Francis (Crosspoint Novels/Fantasy), makes a statement in the very first book I read by her, "You are what you pretend to be." That's pretty poignant. That pretty much sums up what I feel about myself, like I'm the great pretender. I love writing. I would happily spend every single day of my life doing (almost!) nothing but. Even so, opening that file and picking up where I left off or facing a blank page...
Despite that, those first steps are a constant struggle. With running, and writing to a degree, its just laziness. I think with writing though and not running, it is some inherent desire to underachieve. Makes no sense, right?
I've noticed in my life that there are points when I freeze up or turn to run the opposite direction. Fear of commitment? Maybe in some ways (though I'm quite happily married, fyi).. I think its more a desire to see that things don't change. Sort of like I'm afraid of change. Once I do change, its all good, but getting there is a struggle with myself.
Writing is a struggle with myself. I fear the failure as much as the success. When I write something and send it off, I am all hope and joy and nervous anticipation. When I sit down to put idea to paper and flesh things out, I'm just nervous.
An author I've been reading, Diana Pharaoh Francis (Crosspoint Novels/Fantasy), makes a statement in the very first book I read by her, "You are what you pretend to be." That's pretty poignant. That pretty much sums up what I feel about myself, like I'm the great pretender. I love writing. I would happily spend every single day of my life doing (almost!) nothing but. Even so, opening that file and picking up where I left off or facing a blank page...
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