Posted by admin on Jul 27, 2010 in
writing I think what I’m going to work on next is my romance. It is a good, strong story, it’s deep but also fun, and I can do it. Finally, it’s definitely marketable to my target (isn’t that bad, but it’s a good way to make a decision.) I’m trying something different: writing by scene. I have ZERO idea how to do this, but I’m going to ask some advice and give it a shot. I’ll start by doing an hour a night.
Then, I’m going to work on my devotional. I actually have a possible idea for an audience for this – the light bulb went off in my head last night. Again, no idea how to write a thing like this, but maybe I should just start. I have about 3 or 4 scriptures, and I’m thinking it’ll be a 30 day guide. So I need 30 stories & related scriptures. I can do that, if I do one per day. Or even, 2-3 per week.
Got to get back on that writing horse today!
Posted by admin on Jul 21, 2010 in
writing Ok, it’s been a while since I blogged here – because it’s been a while since I wrote. My writer’s group went well, but for now we are only meeting once a month. Kids are losing their minds couped up, and between my Selah time and my business planning, for now, the writing is on hold.
I DON’T WANT IT TO BE. The fact is, I’m not sure I could get more than a few words on the page any day, I’m so stressed and burnt out come night (my writing time). I don’t have a good solution for this. I keep getting the “if you don’t have it, you don’t really want it” signal from the people I’m reading but that’s not exactly true. Burn out is hard, when what you need is fallow ground to plant anew. I haven’t recovered my novel yet and I’m afraid to, as it might be … problematic. What if I get and I can’t pick it up?
I’m wondering now if I should just first reader it…but no, wait, I have to continue on changing the tense. DARN IT.
No idea still where to find a first reader anyway.
Ok, things to get done by end of July: retrieve novel, by end of August: complete tense/edit revision, by end of September: find 1-3 first readers.
Wish me luck…
Tags: work in progress
Posted by admin on Jul 6, 2010 in
writing …almost as good as daily journaling! All of a sudden, a theme comes to me and it’s really good. So now, I’m writing a lot, but I still need to FOCUS my writing.
Writer’s group starts this week, but it’s only monthly, which is ok for now. Hope it goes well.
Posted by admin on Jul 2, 2010 in
writing I’ve been down in the dumps lately, so it was nice last night after a doctor’s visit, to crash out on the couch with hubby and kids to watch “Enchanted”, a movie I have to admit that I really love (helped no doubt by Patrick Dempsey). So in bed, I wrote a bit and then I turned to my night table, looking for magic. Stieg Larson was NOT going to do it for me. I remembered then that my dear cousin ALSO got me another Neil Gaiman book, Stardust
, and when I remembered, I picked it up and started reading.
Magic, yes, that’s what’s been missing lately. The magic in my life has been replaced by routine, summer doldrums, exhaustion, and work. Magic is like a distant, pleasant memory that only serves to torture.
But what is a writer without magic? How can I create the art I want to if there is no magic in my heart?
And “Stardust’ is as magical a tale as any, just like “Enchanted” is magical to a woman who grew up on Cinderella.
So today, tonight, I will try to find the magic in my heart and put it back into my life…
Posted by admin on Jun 28, 2010 in
writing I know there are some readers who journal religiously.
But this is for the rest of us.
First of all, let me say that blogging is not journalling. Journalling or keeping a diary is writing down on a regular basis the stuff that you don’t tell people. It’s simply the act of writing down your mental, spiritual, emotional and, at times, physical journey.
I journaled away most of my youth. From the age of 12 (I can still see that first journal, hardbound, thin, white with gilt edging, a gift from my beloved sister) through most of my 20s, journaling kept me sane.
And then, I met a man, fell in love, got happy, lost and found God, and went on a long, extended inner journey while having a rich and busy external life. Journaling (just as other creative endeavors, such as writing poetry) fell by the wayside.
Then of course, there was my several year infatuation with The Artist’s Way, who’s enforced daily journaling kills the idea of keeping a diary as anything remotely fun or intriguing.
But here I was, this last week, stumped creatively in my writing. Where would I go? So I started journaling, a little.
And it opened up creative doors. In just a few days, even my dreams are richer. I cannot commit to it daily, but I will do it regularly. Nighttime is best for me, morning journaling is painful and the day is too busy. But at night, in bed, pen in hand, with a notebook…ah, there lies destiny!
Try it, you might enjoy it!
Posted by admin on Jun 21, 2010 in
writing Working through my Holly Lisle course, and it reminded me of a writing term I used to know, “MacGuffin“. It is an item or device that usually the protagonist and possibly antagonist want, perhaps even fight over, that has no intrinsic or thematic value of its own, but moves the story and the characters to action.
As in, “Every single prop, invention, and even the island of the TV show ‘Lost’ were all just MacGuffin’s.”
Hitchcock named it, he’s the bomb.
In case you can’t tell, MacGuffins piss me off.
Posted by admin on Jun 8, 2010 in
writing Well I was hoping to be able to import my prior posts, but it’s not worth it. I’ve got bugs in this deployment as well (can’t use preview for some reason) and I have a great idea for design but for now, welcome to my new writing blog! I’ll be posting here about my struggles as a fiction writer, and maybe other kinds of writing as well. Maybe I’ll even write for pay again one day.
One can certainly dream…
Posted by admin on Jun 7, 2010 in
writing …deal with it
