Ok, my plan to finish my novel by year’s end is going well!  I expect to be done with world building in another week or two.  Most of next week I am free, which is good, so hopefully I can be done THEN.  Also there’s a lot of time off at year’s end, so I am hoping that All of December and part of  November, I hope, to do a “one pass edit”, will go well.

True I start a new blogging job on Monday, and I have another blogging piece due by month’s end (Nov), as well as a creative nonfiction submission, so I’m trying to have that done too.  The good news is writing - even worldbuilding - is starting to give me pleasure!  As I was building communities in my fictional world last night, I further developed some backstory for the antagonist.  How awesome is that?  The best part is that only slight adjustments were  need to make the story fit hand in glove. Woohoo!

Last night I picked up “The Parable of the Sower”.  I’m trying to expand my fantasy reading chops over the next few months so that when I pitch this I can say who the novel resembles.  I might need to do a fast&dirty scifi literature course somewhere.  I HAD been thinking of going to Viable Paradise, which probably takes place in September, in Martha’s Vineyard, but it might be cost prohibitive.  All told, it would probably cost $3000, and would definitely push off me completing my degree for ANOTHER year. Something I wouldn’t care about, except I found an MFA program I’d consider IF I had the money.

Chris and I briefly discussed my working future.  The truth is that I have a FANTASTIC idea for a podcast and I want to do it, but between writing/novel/mom blog/ twitter/job/family/design projects/and my special needs resource, I dont see the possibility fitting in with my job.  So maybe in a  year I’ll quit - or maybe not.  This is NOT an easy decision, keeping in mind that I will be home watching the kids over the summer.  Hmm…

Lots of decisions, so thought, discussion, planning & prayer are required. But it’s all SO EXCITING!

Happy halloween, y’all.  This year I’m going as wonder woman (in spirit),
gina b

Wow, it’s a newsflash!

Last nightI was writing through Holly Lisle’s culture building course, and got to the halfway point. I was excited because I already have a little work done on government & religion, so the rest of it should more or less be cake. I don’t think I’m going to use too many advanced techniques, but perhaps a few.

I get to the next section and the next assignment basically says go to wikipedia geography, and start researching cultures.

Ok, I’m sorry, but I FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR. That could takes MONTHS!! The promo on the site said “5 hours” and it’s been weeks. AUGH!

I emailed my support friend and of course, just the act of THAT calmed me down. I proceeded to the next section AND wikipedia, but then I went back to my world building notes. Instead of looking up random cultures, why not look up the several classes I created that defined the world?

And so I learned the great Lesson One of creative endeavors (and childrearing): baby steps, mama, BABY STEPS

I actually managed to do a leetle research on one, and learned Lesson Two: wikipedia can be downright LIGHT on info. (Also it’s just a consortium of info donated by regular people, and NOT always accurate, but good enough for my purposes.)

Later in bed while pondering all this, I realized Lesson Three: there are many roads to worldbuilding. When you’re a novice novelist, the first guide you read always feels like gospel truth. But there are LOTS of worldbuilding guides and sources, same is true for ALL aspects of writing. If this one is not so great for me, that’s fine, for now it’s getting the job done.

Finally my friend emailed me back about that “5 hour testimonial”:

“The reason it’s taken you weeks to do something the ad said would take five hours is because you’re doing a much more complete job than most people would have. IT WILL SHOW IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT. Trust me, this is not work lost. Not ever. Your manuscript will have a depth and texture others won’t”

She’s right, I will. And on a scale of 1-10 I care about this book about an 8 but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it to be the best it can be, or that I want to stop, because this has been a FANTASTIC learning & discovery voyage on how to write a novel.

I also realized later on that my half-hazard education (sorta resembles Sarah Palin’s without the athletics) has allowed me to take take courses in MOST major subjects you can think of, and I have an affinity for History, Military, Discovery and any other channels that shows historical events and people.

So I shake my fists at wikipedia, ha! You won’t bring me down, in fact, you’ve just taught me how to be a better researcher, and that makes me

One Step Closer To My Dream

lesson, learned…

you’re a web designer but really an aspiring novelist and you type “templates” instead of “temples”.  (Oops, did it again).  May the goddess of Bralle forgive me (yes that’s the religion I’m creating, buzz off, lol…)

Well, it’s happened.  In my great fantasy novel, Shapeshifters (totally misleading title), I have a dead stall.  Yea life’s been kind of crazy, but I think the stall hit with an unexpected hiccup while working through the Holly Lisle Culture Building book.  I had been working through, building up the section on “Home” - how characters go through life, and thought I was DONE, but then there is a 20 or so page section that essentially asks all those questions again in FAR MORE DETAIL.

So I did the kill me now thing, when I KNOW I should have either plowed through OR skipped to the next section.  I’m very frustrated now, because I haven’t worked on this thing in 10 days, and I’d like to world building and one pass edit done by 12/31/08.  A 10-day stall is a very very bad thing right now.

VERY BAD.  I need to get back on track TODAY AND NO LATER.  I have to email my accountability partner and tell her, perhaps she can light a fire under my butt.  Today was a short day as I’m bringing daughter to dev ped, so it’s lunch, mapquest, writing, doctor, lab, then more writing, pizza, bible study, more writing, time for bed…

Any tips on how to kill procrastination and GET TO WORK?

Discovered on ISBW archives:

How to write a novel

If you are a WIFFER, you’ll see right away that this article is for planners, not pantsers like me (planners obvious plan everything first, pantsers write everything first, then fix).

Still I have this gestating embryo of an idea (can’t get past that phase) for a novel that might encompass literary fic, women’s fic, and a bit of futurism (is that sf?), and no idea how to access it.  (I did Artist’s Way several times, and used to be a poet.  There’s a part of me that believes that art exists out there and we have to access it, kinda like Michaelangelo seeing “David” in that hunk of marble).

This may be the way to go, since I can’t do NANOWRIMO because I refuse to start anything until I complete my first novel.

YUP, not a barter or future pay, real pay for real blogging posts on parenting.  I’m JAZZED!!!  Give me props, people 

Here’s the story: I’ve been applying online for a few weeks now.  I’ve been praying and trying to live rightly, and work honestly on my writing.  This weekend I sat down and VISUALIZED what it might be like if I was a full time writer.  In depth.  It was awesome.

Several weeks back, I had applied for a blogging position that I thought was me to a T.  So I submitted (thank God I have my resume and an article at the ready). I thought too much time had gone by and then today, I was offered the job!  It’s a small start, but all good things start small and then blossom into other big things.  Wish me luck!

Got my first blogging gig…it’s for barter for now, but pay shortly.  (It’s something I’m interested in at the moment.)  Official byline too, so this will go on the resume.  Woohoo!

I wrote on mom blog that I pitched this, this is the second time I tried to pitch an angle (no response on the first one).  I really enjoy doing that, actually.   This is going to be a very good week 

Yes, I nearly missed Maya Angelou on Oprah. I c aught the last 15 minutes. It’s been a whole 5 years since the last time I saw her there. She has a new book which looks awesome. Peace out to Ms. Angelou:

One word answers only:

1. Where is your cell phone? none
2. Your significant other? playing
3. Your hair? dyed
4. Your mother? Alzheimer’s
5. Your father? Parkinson’s
6. Your favorite thing? God
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? wine
9. Your dream/goal? published
10. The room you’re in? office
11. Your fear? pain
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? novelist
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. What you’re not? athletic
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? iMac
17. Where you grew up? NYCr
18. The last thing you did? work
19. What are you wearing? jeans
20. Your TV? big
21. Your pet? lost
22. Your computer? dell
23. Your life? busy
24. Your mood? happy
25. Missing someone? sister
26. Your car? Saturn
27. Something your not wearing: shoes
28. Favorite Store? Kohl’s
29. Your summer? painful
30. Your favorite color? blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? yesterday
33. Who will/would re-post this? katrina
34. Four places I go over and over? Weis, Walmart, Home, Yard
35. Four of my favorite foods? Chocolate, Berries, Pasta, bacon
36. Four places I would rather be right now? Hawaii, shower, mountains, bar

Nothing is ever wasted.

Not writing anyway.  Katrina told me this once and I was reminded in an old I should be writing interview.

Cool.