I have more work to do on my story before I start kicking it out the door, of course, but I also thought that I might START to delve into something I haven’t played with since my Greenwich Village days, 20 years ago: the short story.  Most of what I had done was flash fiction (thought it wasn’t called that yet), but I’m getting some AWESOME feedback - better than expected - from my writing class, and these 2 pages vignettes I’m writing are good fodder for a short story.  I’ve taken what I know, too, and made it unique.  One short story was originally conceived as backstory for one of my very characters, the black out of 76 (77?) in New York, and it involved building tenants and a super… my dad was a super, but nothing like the character I created.  Nor is my character anywhere there, but I got a good feel for the scene from “writing what I know”.

Ditto a first person narrative about a husband finding out his newborn baby has Down syndrome.  Not that I lived it exactly the way in the story, and an older son in the plot helped, but the woodpecker I created to distract the husband and hone his anger and disappointment on, well, THAT creature really DID exist, and I swear it pecked at my house just like in my story.

Going to smooth the piece out and grow it, and post it…or perhaps just pitch it or put it out there.  Or maybe it belongs in The Writing Show’s 1st chaper of a novel contest?  Hmmm….

OK, so I have finished my novel - and believe me, it’s a long way from done or even marketable - but I have NOT devoted the time to worldbuilding.  (Can you say ‘character driven’?? lol)  That is a task I’m going to begin today.  I’m unsure where to start, though at FmWriters,  I did find some resources way back when.  I guess my planet is mostly like earth but slightly different and that totally throws me.  Really, the setting needs not to distract from the plot but since the main character is a dethroned princess and the antagonist is the newly installed Queen, and the country is at the end of a civil war, the setting is quite important.  We are dealing with humanoids (there’s a few medical differences) and no fantasy creatures at all, with a highly evolved usage of brain areas (mind control), very advanced medicine, and transportation at a stand still (lack of fuel or fuel delivery due to war, I assume).

Yep, I got a lot of work to do.  And question 2 is, how much time do I spend on this?  Are my original goals worth it?  If it could be sold at all, this is valuable to me since I have a very good sense of the sequels, but this is not my primary genre, so that’s an issue.  Hmmmm….

My first edit of my first complete novel IS DONE!!! Party time!!  Excellent!!

Go ahead, have a drink on me. 

My first question: what now??  I mean, i didn’t really DO the required world building, so I guess that’s next. Right??

Good fiction, you know, CAN be television, and I believe that one of the best written TV series to air in my life is “Lost”, which I am OBSESSED with.  I listen to a number of podcasts about it, and I’ve realized that good storytelling lessons can be learned.  The writers of “Lost” have created a VERY detailed storyline.  There are past and future episodes but thus far, the central focus is the CURRENT action that takes place on the island. Thus far, the castaways have been on the island for 69 days.  When you plot something this tightly, continuity is crucial (storyline continuity, film continuity is  a separate issue).

The creators have very detailed storyboards, including a board specifically for characters who have died.  They have solidly planned out the complete story arc (before the show aired, I believe) and have sufficient backstory for each character that requires it.

They have also put a compelling amount of mystery AND suspense (I would argue) in the plotline, keeping viewers coming back for answers, which are doled out conservatively.  In addition, the characters have enough of a personal life to keep you interested in them, either as heroes or vilians or crossover characters, part villian, part hero (Ben, Sayid, Sawyer).

Ok, maybe my Lost obsession is just that, but I can pretend that it’s not just good fantasy but I’m also LEARNING. Can’t I??? 

1. Signed up for my first college writing course, Nonfiction Writing, at Cedar Crest, for the fall.

2. Big one: started re-editing “Shapeshifters”

3.   Learning to read like a writer.  I’m reading a poorly written book that I picked up in a chain store that I like. The plot is not bad, but the writing is anything but economical (I’m big on that).  I’m learning from it because I can see redundancy and it is pulling my interest out of the book.

Ok, since my last post, I have done A LOT.  Here’s  a list:

-listening to weekly podcasts of The Writing Show and Will Write for Wine.  Just discovered I Should be Writing so that’s on my list too.

-doing very well in my online writing course.

-went to first local writer’s luncheon with experienced & published writers who were very nice and really offbeat (my kinda crowd!)

-spoke with a coach (my client) about organizing my stuff to position myself, my mom blog, and start pursuing more journalistic types of writing in order to build an audience.  I have a long task list under this.

-wrote my daily schedule and fit in TWO sections of writing time for weekdays.  First would be the 1st half hour after work before picking up the kids - not always availabe.  The other is 10:30 at night, when I do work sometimes.  2 blocks allows me to get in at least  30 minutes of writing or editing.

-subscribed to Time to Write newsletter

-got first edition of P&W from my subscription

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I haven’t been posting here because I have been too busy lately WORKING on my dream of a full time writer career. I am doing work in “The Right to Write”. I have been doing very well in my Writer’s Studio class. I have learned to pick up the pen and just write some fiction or poetry when I feel like it. I have just discovered 2 more fabulous podcasts, Odyssey SF/F Writing Workshop Podcast and The University of Iowa Writing University Podcasts.

I just listened to the Iowa ‘cast, and featured Katie Ford lecturing on Using Traditional Form in Free Verse. Oh, was I in heaven. How I wish I could actively one day pursue an MFA there, but that can’t happen because I doubt we’ll ever relocate to Iowa! I learned so much, but one of the things that has stuck out to me is that I MUST learn my craft. In my heart, I want to get a graduate MFA in poetry, which is probably the least likely degree in the world to ever recoup its own cost.

I keep hearing, though, the concept of the Law of Abundance, everywhere I go, everything I turn on. I’m not sure if something like this is my path, but oh, to study sonnets and more, and learn to write ghost forms. How awesome.

Last week in our writing class, our assignment was to emulate Lucille Clifton - one of my favorite poets. It turns out that my natural style is very like hers (not stolen, because I was writing this way long before I ever heard who Clifton was). I did well, but I didn’t go DEEP enough. It’s a consistent problem I’m having, too much economy over emotion in my prose. Why, I wonder?

Also, I keep hearing over and over, that in order to learn great writing, keep emulating the masters. Shoot high over and over. Great advice.

I’m thinking about starting a weekly podcast for writers growing into writers, just a journey of my experience. Also maybe do a reading at the end.

Finally, I’m reading The Year of Magical Thinking, which I did not recall was NONFICTION. The writing is…awesome. Fabulous. BREATHTAKING is the word I’m looking for.