MIA

Sorrysorrysorry!

I know I've been missing in action for the past few days. I'm at the library now. My PC at home snarls and nips at me every time I look at it. I think it likes being left alone. It sits there, a malevolent presence, daring me to try to touch the wires that hang like tentacles, spilling from the counter to the floor. A hideous sight that makes me tremble.

I swear it won't get the best of me, dear readers! I swear I will fight this thing. Perhaps gloves. Or a rake. Yes, one of those many-tined rakes with large teeth. This computer needs to know who's boss!

I'm looking for desks today. Tomorrow, or tonight, though I hate to get close to it while I'm alone, I will try to untangle the cords. You should see them. They look like long hair that snarls right at the crown. Almost badly enough to cut it off, for the whimpers as you pull a brush through it would tear out your heart. Oh my!

I will triumph. I hope...... If you don't hear from me in days, you'll know I've been devoured.

Life is treacherous.

Moving Day Tomorrow

This is going to be a quick post. I'm hoping it works as I am using my Droid. A friend was helping me pack and tore down the computer and its components. I hope I can figure out how to put it back together tomorrow afternoon. Besides that, I now have wifi and don't know how to use it. Interesting challenges.

But isn't that what life's about? And don't you just know I'll be able to use the expertise on a story?

Life is an adventure.

Magic: What To Do With It

Read a blog tonight about magic. The author had attended a conference and she shared some of the highlights. http://leigh-covington.blogspot.com/2012/02/abracadabra.html

The first - magic has to have a purpose and drive the story.

I think most sane people know you can't write a story solely based on magic. Harry Potter had lots of magic in it, but it was the characters who drove the story.

That's what I like to do with mine - have the characters drive the story.

I don't spend a lot of time explaining the magic or how it works. It's just there... at first, my character is surprised by it. She's never had it before, but things happen, and now she's got it. Part of the story is the learning curve, but so much in her life has changed that the magic seems a distant blessing.

Survival is of the utmost importance. If she can use magic for her survival, then well and good. However, she's got no time to explore that new part of her. And she's got a brother to save.

So the magic is there. I don't want it huge. I want it peripheral. I hope that works.

Life is magical.

Future Authors

I was reading a blog about THE CALL. Writers shared what happened before THE CALL and how they felt when they got it. It was awesome. And Sorrow-filled. http://emusdebuts.wordpress.com/

I'm not sure why I felt such sorrow. Perhaps it was the realization that so many people are desperately trying to get published.

Perhaps it's that the haul is long. Nothing is easy about the process. Not only is it a daily struggle, it can be a decade's struggle.

That's why we have to have friends, a support system, the Bible/Koran/Talmud. This is a battle. Not only in the writing -- yikes, I can only shudder at the times I've faced the Muse with open sword and said 'Where the *(^^)* have you been?" But also with the editing process, the looking-for-an-agent, the publishing house, the hiding under the bed while the family says, 'Of course you're a writer, dear.' Shame falls upon me when I look in their eyes.

That's when I turn to my support system. Even if it's only one person, people, get yourself some support.

The process is hard. Bitter. But glorious. Wait 'til you get to say, "I've got a contract!"

Life is good.

Getting Excited

Edited Chs. 26 & 27 today. Chapter Twenty-seven is the midpoint. It's so exciting to know I'm there! There! From now on, it's downhill, until the climax. Wow. This feels so awesome. I do so hope you get to feel this kind of elation!

As per the Progress listing on your left, I sent off Chs. 24 & 25 yesterday. Can't wait to get feedback from my editor.

Going to continue with the story itself now. I'm in the midst of Ch. 33. Different landscape, different terrors, but our heroine has a friend beside her and a new friend, Sir Giddly's offspring.

It's so nice to be 'back' and working hard. I'm still not 100% well, but I'm working on it. Starting a new 'eating' pattern to optimize healing. And trying to get rest, too.

The move is not going well, due to the hospitalization, I'm behind a week in packing, but my kids tell me not to worry. That I'm ten times farther along in packing than the last move. That's encouragement I need. Extra stress really makes the legs hurt 100% more.

Stress can be a killer. Yet, how do I combat the stress of writing? I will compensate by resting more! Because the writing is worth everything. I feel drunk on it. I read a Bradbury quote that says we must be drunk on writing. Wow - it's true.

Life is good.

Blog Help

I know basically next to nothing about blogging. As you know, I do it for the discipline. But the fun of knowing folks are reading it has made it exciting!

A blog I follow put together some pretty good tips for successful blogging. Thought you might like to see them. http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2012/02/blogging-for-writers-make-your-blog.html

I seem to have incorporated a lot of the 'right' things to do in my blog. That felt good. Now, to get to content.

I'm so glad I made the 'progress' add on to the left side of the blog. Really helping me keep updated. A checklist that the world can see. Which means I best keep it up. *g*

Another little thing. I sent in my hook to a blogger's site and got reviewed. It was nice. The comments were most constructive. I plan on taking the hook and dissecting it again *g* and remaking it. Good suggestions. Nice of writers to help one another. http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2012/02/would-you-read-it-wednesday-27th-pitch.html

Life is a quezy stomach.

I'm Back!

Mostly spent the away time in the hospital. Not better yet, but they sent me home with meds. :)

I have all kinds of thoughts buzzing about my head. Hoping to get them flying in some sort of pattern. *g*

I've been reading since I didn't have access to the computer and didn't want to spend my time in the hospital watching tv. One of the books had some writing in it that made me wonder. Perhaps I can get some opinions?

Foreshadowing. I'm not a fan of it. it seems to me that it is a sloppy way to tell something you want the reader to know, but not the character.

The book had a sentence that went something like this... little did I know the fates were laughing.

I found it took me from the story, made me wonder how on earth the main character would know this, and made me wonder if this kind of thing is something to be used.

As I said, I don't use foreshadowing myself. I was told I might think of it as a tool. I'll consider it, but I'm not comfortable with it.

Life is topsy-turvy.

PS - thanks for all the well wishes!

Frustrared

Murphy's Law. As soon as I decide to really use technology, I get hit with a Trojan fakealert! My son is going to try and work on it tomorrow.

On a lighter note (tongue-in-cheek), I've landed in the hospital.

Life is interesting.

Computer problems

Having trouble posting

Discipline

You may have noticed that I added a 'Progress' gadget to the left sidebar of this blog. Part of discipline training, but also a great way to say, 'Hey, you're still at it. You're doing good!'

I started this blog to teach myself discipline. I also created it so that I would have a place where I could learn about myself and my own writing process. I've learned discipline. And it feels great. Sure, there are days when I wish I didn't 'have' to post. But I do it anyhow. It's important for my training. My upbringing. *g*

My editor says she sends out an MS every month. Now that is discipline. We have arranged a mutual agreement for her to continue to edit 'Blue.' I'm excited about that. I don't want to wait. I'm already about fourteen chapters ahead of what I'm presenting at my class. I want to see what she thinks about the 'hard' stuff that's coming up.

On a lighter side, I found a tongue-in-cheek story that I want to pursue. I found I'd written three vignettes so far. I want to continue this. Reading it again made me laugh.

Life is disciplined laughter. *g*

Technology

Use it!

I keep a notepad and pen by my bed at night. For when the Muse wakes me up at 3am and says, 'Write!'

That means, I have to turn on the light, grope for the accoutrements, and try to write with some intelligence. If I'm not pretty clear on what I'm writing, nine times out of ten, the next morning I have no clue as to what the Muse thought was so important to wake me up! Then... she doesn't speak to me for awhile. *g*

The other night, I got woken. I didn't want to move. I reached over, in a moment of fog, and grabbed my cell phone. It sits right next to me on its stand. In case the world should end while I'm sleeping and someone is calling to say their last good-bye.

Hmm, I thought, I can use this. So I switched to the texting thingee-do and wrote away. Since I didn't have to turn on a light and I didn't have to hope the pen had not run out of ink, etc. etc. etc. I was able to spend a good couple minutes writing down enough that I would know what it meant in the morning.

Then - I fell back asleep. No worries that I might have lost some delicious piece of writing. 

Life is good.

Good Leaders

Met with my WA group today (Writers Ink) and had a ball. It is such a joy to be with women who are devoted to writing. Stirs the creative juices.

Cheryl, our erstwhile leader, is awesome. She always brings articles to the meeting that are appropriate for us, individually or as a group. She ruminates on what is good for the group while the rest of us are busy wrecking havoc with our lives. The woman is just incredible.

She brought quite a few articles this time. One was a little blip from The Writer magazine. There were two lines that knocked the socks off of me. Sadly, I don't have the issue with me and I can't give credit to whoever wrote the article. http://www.writermag.com/en.aspx

"Be Open To Serendipity." I really think this is an important part of writing. Personally, I don't go to my page and plan what will happen step by step. I start with an idea and then, if you've noticed, I let the Muse have her way. She is full of serendipitous folly. I love her.

"The good ending must touch the heart and guts and soul, not just rattle the bones."  I'm beginning to contemplate the ending of my first 'Blue' book and want to make sure the ending rocks. I'm going to try to keep the above thought in mind as I plunge onward.

I told the group my thoughts about being addicted to writing and our intrepid leader suggested that a short story is a 'gateway' to more and more addictive behavior. She's right. I think a word can be the gateway. Or a sentence. Or a drabble (those one hundred word little exercises that make you pull out your hair.) From word to sentence to short story to novel. And eventually you are so addicted to writing, you begin the greatest epic of all times.

Our leader also read my posting about reading my own stuff (after finding it in the midst of moving) and not realizing it was my own. And liking it. She gave us homework. We have to bring in a piece that we wrote awhile back and read it to the group. One that surprised us and we like. Should be fun. I discovered, as I looked for a piece on my computer, that I used to write poetry. I forgot about that. I'll bring one of my poems to the next meeting.

All in all, an absolutely scintillating meeting.

Life is fun.

Discovery

What a great evening! I opened 'Blue' and discovered that I had already completed Chapter Thirty-one and was more than halfway done with Chapter Thirty-two! Whoo hoo! Who knew!

I took my own advice as a wee wave of worry swept over me (couldn't pass up a bit of alliteration). I let the Muse do the work. I put my fingers on the keyboard and the Muse took over. Thank goodness. Where has she been? Sick. Yup. But she's back.

Finished Chapter Thirty-two tonight. Will, of course, edit it within the next few days. But it's done and it feels good.

For this chapter, I had to research the landscape that our hero/heroine found her/himself in. Kind of like the geysers and such at Yellowstone National Park in the USA.   http://blog.martinbelan.com/2010/10/photographing-geothermal-activity-at-yellowstone/

I've been to Rotorua in New Zealand. That's pretty neat, too. But I needed something more.   http://www.exploring.co.nz/North_Island/Bay_of_Plenty/Rotorua/

I discovered this stupendous place on the far east coast of Russia. Part of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Awesome landscape and just what I needed. I found it awhile back (before I needed it) on a PBS program and saved it to my DVR. Watched it again tonight, knowing full well I had to 'see' what my characters were seeing. I think this makes a huge difference.    http://amazingdata.com/amazing-landscape-of-kamchatka-volcano-crater/

Life is discovery.

Whoo Hooo

For probably the ten thousandth time. I finished editing. Of the chapters that have been written. *g*

The neat thing is, I've had this little idea for weeks now -- that the hero/heroine sees him/herself in a mirror. I knew where to put it, but hadn't the time to 'fast-forward' to that part of the story. Tonight I finally made it. It worked perfectly. *happy smile*

Tomorrow, if the sky don't fall, I'll begin the ending of chapter thirty-one. Yikes! When I think of when I last looked at that chapter... But no sense in crying over spilt milk. I am where I am supposed to be.

Life is exhilarating.

PS - Hello, Columbia!

PSS - Excellent posting here...  http://lindagerber.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-writers-groundhog-day.html

Listening to Queen

I do so love that group. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is playing.

I know a lot of people probably don't appreciate Queen, but one of my favorite movies is 'Flash Gordon.' That's where I was introduced to Queen. I fell in love with their music. 

I bring this up to illustrate 'taste.' I've got some awesome friends. The kind you really would die to have. The ones who come and clean your house when your ill. Or if you get so drunk you are close to passing out -- they take care of you. Or are always available for prayer support.

I can't give them my MS for 'Blue.' It's not their 'cup of tea.' I still haven't accepted this. As incredible as they are... I want them to want to read it. But I know they won't. Or if they take it, they'll put it on the dining room table with the bills and the towels that need folding... and if it gets thrown out as yesterday's trash... You get the picture.

The same is true, I think with agents and publishers. No matter the relationship you have with them.... or hope to have.... they might not 'like' what you're now offering. 

Queen isn't everyone's cup of tea... neither is Beastie Boys. But a lot of people do like them and that's what we hope... That's what I hope for my tale. That a lot of people will like it. I can't wait to finish it and get it out there.

I'm not going to consider the rejections. My teacher just got a rejection letter and she's been published a gazillion times! I'm going to hope. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, was talking about the future the other day. Paraphrasing. He said we have stopped thinking about tomorrow. People are just thinking about surviving the day. What am I dreaming about? Where's my hope for tomorrow?  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46198302/#46198610

I've got to remember that. There will be a tomorrow. 

Life is hope.