just another day

I didn’t write at all this weekend. But I did get some brainstorming done last night. At this point I need to take a minute and get organized. To that end, I plan on printing out all my current files, and put them in a binder, separated by character / plot / scenes, etc. I now that if I don’t do this now, the lack of organization will only get worse.

It’s crazy busy at work, and I am slightly burnt out. And I, like a fool, volunteered to work Monday. Yes, because I have no life. No matter, the overtime will come in handy. I don’t expect that I will be very busy, so I will definitely get a lot of writing done in the meantime.

My Theme/Premise came to me: Be True to Yourself. This is the crux of Erika’s conflict. She cannot be true to herself and indulge her need to please everyone in her life. It’s just not possible. Something’s gotta give, and this is something she needs to realize for herself before she falls apart. Theme is something I never really thought about before, but I am beginning to understand how it can help pull everything together. I know what scenes I need, which ones I don’t. And I expect it will keep me focused so I am not going off on a tangent as I am known for doing.

Tracking my progress...or lack thereof

I will admit, I'm all about the numbers. If I can tally word count, and see those numbers go up daily, it's like pure adrenaline, and I'm moving. To that end, I've been tracking word counts. I've been using the NaNo Report Card, which is all over the internet. Good spreadsheet, but not exactly what I want. And I am not excel-savvy enough to create what I want. I'd like a spreadsheet that tallies my wordcount, but also lets me see what I've been working on at a glance. I'd also like it to be a monthly spreadsheet, that will end up with a yearly total. Has anyone in blogland have such a spreadsheet, or seen one around?

looking back

This evening I've been doing some long overdue purging of stuff. Various outdated emails, and such, and of course old projects that I started (and never finished). I found a dear friend's email to me, back at the end of 2001. He said, "You write clean ... reads like you've been publishing for a while....I'm impressed...and you're handling 1st person very well." I don't even remember what I sent him, but damn, what a boost to my confidence. Perhaps my fears are simply my own, and I just need to get over myself and write.

As even further proof that I at least have some talent, I read a small scene snippet that I wrote off the cuff. It was pretty good. Comparable to published work I've read, if I say so myself. LOL This was a pump up that I needed. I need to stop worrying so much about the mechanics and "get 'er done!'

Re-reading

There aren't many books that I will re-read. Stephen King--definitely. S.L. Viehl's StarDoc--of course! A certain mystery writer--nope. However I just started re-reading the Vampire Huntress series by L.A. Banks. I'm starting from the beginning.. Minion. I love the series...I've read 5 or 6 of the 8 currently available. I forgot which one I was up to, so I decided to start all over. And I am happy to say, that it is a whole new experience. I mean, I pretty much know what is going to happen, but now I can savor it. The first time I read the books I was thrown into a non-stop whirlwind of good vs. evil. I was so anxious to find out what was going to happen that I didn't slow down to savor the experience. That is the beauty of the 2nd reading. Especially if a bit of time has elapsed from the initial reading. I am also reading as research. Plotting, characterization. I've slowed down enough to take a look around this world I'm experiencing, and seeing the world as Ms. Banks wrote it.

I'm hoping this will help me to translate those movies in my mind onto paper. I often write without thinking...without drawing a complete picture. I leave things out, and I know in a first draft it shouldn't matter, but this old brain forgets....and I think I need to really watch that movie that's playing on the back of my eyelids,a nd absorbing it before i try to commit it to paper. I am working hard on my character--really just trying to get myself organized, and finding out what motivates Erika, Malcolm, Rohan, Serena and Kyle. (Five characters, two different novels, two different genres). I'm ping-ponging back and forth between the two, because they have been in my head for such a long time. I need to get them on paper and then decide what to do with them.

Eden's Promise was my Nano novel from six years ago. I never finished it, simply because I wrote myself into a corner. I've been thinking about this novel, and hope to get back to it later this year. I have some notes written down on that one as well. I don't think I am spreading myself too thin, as all three are different genres.

Ok. so I've been reading an unnamed mystery writer these past couple of weeks. The writer has a series of novels with very interesting characters. But I have noticed one disturbing thing, that probably wouldn't matter if I weren't a writer. Descriptive passages that are repeated from book to book. No, not infodumping the same backstoy....but literally word-for-word paragraphs that are repeated from book to book to book. I don't know about you, but that seems like lazy writing to me.

hump day

Tonight was Jericho. But I didn't watch it. I am 2 episodes behind, catching up on On Demand. I missed one, then babygirl was gone for a week, and I didn't want to watch it without her. We watched an episode monday night, but then between homework, and my being tired, we haven't finished the other 2 episodes. So now we're back to 3 episodes behind I guess.

I have not been writing, but I have been thinking about writing. My MC Erika, is not ready yet. I still need to work on her motivations, as well as the motivations for the other major characters. I am [finally] reading Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon. It is giving me a lot to think about. And I am realizing that Erika is only half-formed...she is not "real" yet. There is more I need to know before I move on to plotting.

I also have a couple of ideas (and characters) marinating. Jaylen is speaking to me again. She is the main character from my SF trilogy, that I started as a NaNoWriMo project back in 2001. I remember that I ended the month at 35K, continued writing, and petered out at around 75K. No plot in mind, but I've got an interesting story. I think it is almost time to dig for the gold, and see what I can salvage. The only thing I can be sure of is Jaylen, her two buddies, and the titles for each of the three books.

Related to that project is a short story--a sort of prequel if you will. It is not finished either (do you see a pattern here?) but it is already over 10K. This is another project that I'd like to come back to.

Aside from all this crowding my brain, I am also trying to...get organized. <--what a concept! I am the most disorganized person in the world. My attempts at becoming organized fall to the wayside when I get overwhelmed. I'm a great starter. A finisher...not so much. And that is what I want to change. Banish that procrastination demon! Well, I'm off to do some reading tonight. I have several books in my TBR pile, and they keep getting pushed back, because I can't stay out of the library. LOL My thought is..those books need to be returned, so they need to be read first. Makes sense, no?

it's only tuesday?

Jericho is my latest television addiction. I discovered this show recently, and spent a Saturday watching all the episodes on Comcast On Demand. This show has truly sucked me in. Yes, it really stretches the believability factor, but still, it is an interesting show, especially since we the viewers don’t know yet just who attacked the United States, or why. And the storyline currently suggests that it was a US agency gone rogue.

I am a fan of post-apocalyptic stories—be it movies, novels, whatever. I don’t like the idea of the world as we know it coming to an end, but it is truly the big “What If?”. I’d like to think that if I survived the initial apocalyptic incident, that I could adapt to a whole new world. I see a world where people will need the sometimes forgotten knowledge of our forefathers. Simple things, like sewing, digging a well, milking a cow. Things that we as a society take for granted. I'm thinking that this will definitely be something I explore in my writing one day.

my visual DNA

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monday monday

I have a car. I bought a car. A new car. My first new car. I drove it off the lot with 11 miles on it. Wow. I'm still suffering from sticker-price-shock or something, as I am not sure it is real yet. So now, I have to pay for said car. Reality hasn't set it, but I'm sure it will soon. It is a 2007 Hyundai Elantra. I wanted a Sonata, but my budget could not swing it. Still, it's cute, and the gas mileage is incredible!

Not much else is going on...babygirl is back at home, and all is well. I'm sleepy.

Thank God its Friday

It has been a hell of a week. I’m glad it’s over. My daughter is visiting her dad in Philly, so I’ve been by myself.  Woo Hoo!  You’d think I would have gotten a lot done.  Nope.  I fear that I went through a couple of horrible days at work, where I ended up in bed rather early. 

 

Oh then came Wednesday.

 

I was on my way to a car dealership, since I knew the 1998 Taurus I was driving had seen better days, and I would be lucky to get any trade in dollars for it.  Well, here I am, cruising down Atlantic Ave, when smoke is pouring out from under the hood. I pull into the turning lane, because I was right at Pep Boys.  Dropped it there for an cooling system diagnostic, and walked three blocks to the nearby car dealership.  That wasn’t so bad.  They want $1500 down, which is a little more that I was planning, but not as bad as I thought it would be…you see, I have bad credit.  But I’m happy to say, I’m on the far side of bad, and I can see the end of the tunnel, when I will have “fair” credit, which will naturally pave the way back to “good” credit.  So I’ve got to come up with some cold hard cash to put as a down payment, and in the meantime, I’m without a vehicle.  Or, if I drive the Taurus, I’m in danger of blowing up.  That was enough to scare me. The repair bill on the Taurus was approximately $2600 dollars.  I’m better off with the $1500 down and having a new(er) car that has a warranty, versus a repair bill on a car that will more than likely need something else in a few months.

 

I have spent some time writing. I need to take some time this weekend to organize my notes.  I’ve been playing around with WriteItNow and Liquid Story Binder.  I have Write Way Pro installed, but the evaluation period is over.  I’ll let you know which program I decide to actually keep.  Right now, I’m leaning towards WriteItNow.

 

More later….

alone at last

Don't know if it's a good thing or not, yet. My babygirl just flew on a plane all by herself to Philadelphia to spend spring break with her dad. Okay she's 10. And she will be escorted by airline personnel from the time she boards, till she meets Dad. But still, she's my baby. I was a big girl though, and didn't cry. Now I'm home alone (the boy lives in NYC with my mom). This is the first time I've been alone in a very long time. So long that, I can't quite remember if I've ever had this experience before.

PARTY TIME!!

Not. More like cleaning, not cooking, writing time. Oh yeah, and shopping for a car. I'll be leaving Jacksonville soon, and I need reliable transportation. Another bill. I'm not gonna go there....let's just say my financial picture ain't that pretty.

So I've been spending this weekend doing blog hopping, and thinking. Balance, and dedication. Two issues I need to really sit down and think about. How do I find balance between writing, exercise, being a mom, knitting, work, and entertainment. (Who's fooling who, we all have some type of entertainment in our lives). I will not pretend that I don't like watching TV. I do. So aside from the normal things that I have to do, all these things mentioned about fill up my "free" time. I need to start scheduling, and planning....something I also need to do with my writing as well. I can't just sit down without a plan, because, well I don't have time for it. I need to have a plan and execute it. Which leads to becoming more organized, in my work, and breaking it down to small tasks that will [eventually] become habits. It is all related, because habits I pick up in one area of my life, will filter into other parts of my life, and theoretically, make for a less stressful and more productive life.

romance divas

Please be sure to check out RomanceDivas. It's a great website, and the women there are so helpful. In my efforts to become less of a hermit, I've started hanging out there again. I aksed one question on the forums today, and the response was awesome. I had an epiphany...I'm a write who loves/needs that back-and-forth type of bantering to work out my ideas/plot. Sometimes I have such a narrow view, that I miss things that other people pick up right away. Of course this is the crux of critiquing....but I haven't even gotten there yet. How do I learn to be my own crit partner?

So now I've got a ton of ideas that are "marinating". I've been playing around with TwiddlySpot, and it came in handy today while I was at work. Lucky for me, I have access to that particular website (and RomanceDivas, of course). I was able to jot down an idea I had in a spot where it made sense, not in some random email to myself, or even worse, a sticky note. I keep it open and minimized all day, so whenever the random thought flies by, I can catch it before it reaches the ether.

My fish are spoiled and picky. So, they normally eat Romaine lettuce. When I went to the store yesterday they were out of Romaine, and I picked up some green leaf lettuce. I put to nice sized pieces in the tank and they absolutely hated it! I mean they "sniffed" around it, took a bite, and left it alone. So wuss that I am, I was back at the store today, buying Romaine. I'm watching them now, and they are happier campers today. Granted, it's not brine shrimp but they will get over it. I try not to give them too much brine shrimp, because a lot of it goes to waste and gives the nasty bristleworms something to eat.


Watched American Idol. I can't believe Sanjaya squeaked through another week. I was worried for Phil Stacey though. I didn't think he should have been in the bottom 3. I also can't believe Diana Ross will be 63 this month! Go Diva Diana!

checking in

I was feeling a little sick on Sunday, but didn’t think anything of it. After a horrible night of trying to sleep, I dragged myself into work. By 1PM I was outta there. Don’t quite remember getting home, but apparently I made it in one piece. I fell asleep thinking that it was way too bright outside and daylight savings really sucked. So with a head cold, and the time change, I’m feeling out of sorts. I feel like I’m viewing the world through gauze. Nothing seems really clear. Should be a good time for writing, you would think.

Made it to work today, (which is why I’m posting via email, damn those website watchers) and if I could crawl under my desk for a nap, I would. I can’t even enjoy the 80 degree weather we’re having today. Yes I’m bragging…this is the reason for living in Florida. J

I wonder how effective and productive I am actually being today. I don’t feel like I’ve done anything, and honestly, couldn’t care less right now. I just want to lie down and relax. I’ve started reading Lisey’s Story by Stephen King. I don’t know if I’m going to like this one…but it is Mr. King, so perhaps it is just slow starting. I just finished Whiskey Sour by J. A. Konrath, which I really liked. I definitely plan on checking out the other books in this new series.

I like series’ characters. I like investing the time in getting to know characters and wondering where their story goes next. The best books (and characters) are those I’m still thinking about long after I’ve finished the book. Those are the kinds of characters that I hope to create. I want my readers to care and/or identify with my characters.

I have a character named Erika. She is a doormat, plain and simple. But the story is about her changing from doormat to independent woman. My biggest problem seems to be plotting…figuring out the “trigger” that makes her decide she doesn’t want to be a doormat anymore. Not that she realizes just how much of a doormat she really is. I’ve got plot points by the ton, things are happening…it’s just that opening catalyst that I have trouble with. What makes her want to change NOW?