So I’m editing tonight, had to force myself too, and I came to the part of the book where something tragic happens…

And even though I made this decision years ago, wrote in NANOWRIMO in 2003, and have lived with it ever since, the writing … well, I damn near cried.  CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

This is my one true path, I know it now.  I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with the business I haven’t been able to build lately or how to make writing my business or how to get unstuck out of 2 chairs instead of one, but I know this now.

And it feels DAMN good.  This is the purpose God put me here for.

Amen to that!

OK, so as of now, I have exactly 50 pages to edit in my novel.  If I 10 per night, I can have it done in 5 days.  Let’s make it more reasonable, OK, how about 7 per night, that gives me one week to completion.  Cool!

Meanwhile, today I tossed out at a least a dozen books of morning pages and childish poetry.  Found some decent stuff and kept it: a handful of typed up poems, some notebooks with novel and short story concepts, some inspirational quotes, and a blank pad (woohoo! the writer loves finding paper).  I also came across some very high praise about one of my poems.  (Look for the one called “Slipping“.)

I forgot to mention that within 2 days of last week, I got this line: “pursue your degree” as advice in TWO different books I’m reading, one spiritual, the other about writing.  I don’t believe in coincidences, so I took this as a sign.

In addition, I found out that the closest college to me has a nighttime English degree program, BUT what’s really great is that they have creative writing classes AND something called “novel IS” or something that is a one on one.   Which leads me to believe it’s capstone novel writing seminar (I hope).  Most of the creative writing courses are at night, which is good because the tuition is half the price of the same class in the day (also think of childcare!).  So I’m psyched but I’m broke - no idea when this is going to happen because of money issue, but I have faith.  (Once again, anyway.)

Now I know I don’t NEED the degree, but it is a lifelong dream and I do need to write with accountability.  I hope this works out!

That’s all for now.

I’m up to page 199 of 266 in my editing of “Shapeshifters” (woefully mistitled!).  That is a good thing, but also a bad, because here’s the issue: I want this to be a novel but it’s only got 64,500 words.  You need like 100,000 for a novel.  Now it IS true that there is subplot that needs to developed, so that will add. And also that I need to move it from being as explicatory as it is to descriptive, but even so I’m not sure I can get there.  I’ll have to really think it over and decide.

I’ve been longed resolved to this thing having at least a 3rd rewrite/edit, but plotline and character emotions are coming together.

OK, now I’m off to write some backstory on a pivotal character that may in of itself be an interesting side-story.

Thought I’d post on my progress on different things.

1. Joined a local writer’s meetup group today, we’ll see how that goes.

2. Joined a writer’s group at writers.com, still waiting to hear about being accepted.

3. I’m 3 for 3 in terms of editing progress on my major fantasy novel.

4. Just started re-editing (and then need to complete) the serial scifi story I want to submit for pay. Edit what I have to, then continue - or should I just continue, THEN edit? Hmmm… Have to re-read the 8000+ words to get familiar. Maybe I should do my own nanowrimo type progress counter?? Wonder if WP has one??

I got off my somewhat generous BUTT last night and did a few things that I am VERY proud of.  Firstly, I brushed off my copy of Shapeshifters, my fantasy, and set to editing again.  Augh, the last edit was in January!  When will I ever finish?  Especially now that I feel good about this novel and taking it to the next level, making it more literary - at least that’s what I expect from my new ideas.

Then I emailed 2 writer’s groups.  One is local, the other may have a local chapter.  The Greather Lehigh Valley Writer’s Group invited me to their June event, hope I’m not on vacation! But if so, I’ll go to the next one.

Then I actually emailed Katherine Neville, who is writing a sequel to “The Eight” and she actually wrote back!!  How cool.   She’s got a pro redesigning the site, I went to that person’s site and found a wonderful cache of stuff for writers.

Then I saw from my WECAI newsletter that there is a place that writers can sell serialized novels or novellas.  I have a piece that’s perfect for it, but I’m only 8000+ words in and I need 20,000 written and polished.  So that will be my summer project, along with the editing.

And that’s it, I think.  More thinking on how to blend my ideas in a creative online way and lots of business marketing, but that’s all for now.  It’ll be a busy summer!

Well, no, I have NOT been writing. Work and Christmas and kids and sickness and duties have taken up all my time. I know there is a solution, but in the MEANTIME I’ve been giving heavy thoughts to my creative writing projects - my fantasy story and it’s underlying themes, the new novel I’d like to start as a tribute to my mother (who is in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s), and a guy I spoke to today reminded me of an online project I wanted to start where I write a story and visitors log in to read excerpts weekly. Or maybe I should find a place to submit it.

On my 2007 to do list, is finding time to write. Even if it’s only a few hours (yea right) minutes a day. My goal is the DAILY part - daily writing not on my blogs and business, but on my fiction. Habits develop in 21 days, so they say, so all I need is 3 weeks, a few minutes a day at scheduled times. Given my business and my 2 small children, 2007 will be the “year of the schedule”…

Wish me luck.

Last night I was too wiped out from my daughter’s 3rd birthday party to edit, but tonight I did 10 pages to make up. (I’m revising 3 pages a night.) Once again, I have Holly Lisle to thank for that.

I also booked the URL for my nonfiction spiritual book, we’ll see how that goes. I’m psyched. I’m also pooped, so off to bed I go.

A while back, I found this fantastic site, Holly Lisle, who is a fantasy writer (what luck!). It had some great tips and I downloaded and read a portion of “Mugging the Muse”. I stumbled back across it tonight for someone else, and discovered that it’s EXACTLY what I need right now.

So currently my goal is to edit/review 5 pages a night of a currently 246 page draft. It’s more than that, because there is stuff I need to put in the middle.

Anyway, I decided just to go for it, and then came across a bit on one-pass revisioning, and I wonder if I should do that. In the meanwhile, I joined the bulletin boards at the site but they were so overwhelming so I stopped browing and started working and ended up doing 7 pages. Cool.

Now I’m having some issue because I’m wondering if I should still be doing my business. Writing more than one book, running a biz and raising 2 little ones, one with very mild Down’s, is HARD. Not to mention living life, being actively spiritual and charitable, and oh yea, there’s a truly wonderful husband, a mom with Alzheimer’s in need of help, and housework - which just got bigger as we can’t afford a housekeeper as of this year.

Is there a way to get rid of sleep?? LOL…

I finally feel like I am getting serious. I updated and printed my “long sheet” - steps that are going to happen with a little detail, then created one line bullet points for the story. Whew. Now I’m feeling like a real writer.

Listened today to part of Writers on Writing with Audrey Niffeneggar, author of the simply amazing “The Time Traveller’s Wife”, and I HAVE to reread it. Her prose are so amazing.

Now I know what to do with my Christmas iPod…lots of writing podcasts, cool.

I actually thought (and am still thinking) of writing a non-fiction book on spirituality (and/or parenting), and while I was considering how I could use and share what I know, it seemed impossibly simple that people in my life could be used. My mom has Alzheimer’s and her journey could very much parallel my protagonist’s mother’s journey from Sorcerer Queen to God-like icon. I need a better fix on who to model the other characters on.

Yea, I’m editing my fantasy and that’s what I’ve written - what I wrote - during Nanowrimo. Paragraphs and paragraphs of technical, unfeeling crap. This entire book needs to be rewritten.

oh, joy joy.