Triptaphine

Turkey eaten, leftovers fill the fridge, my birthday thoroughly celebrated and a quiet afternoon combine to give me several hours of uninterrupted writing time. More than a thousand words written. I was able to start an interchange between two prospective sweethearts, muddle through a emotional wedding and get some letters posted.

Happy Halloween!

Nothing could be finer than to get past a writer's block. I finished chapter 18 in the big novel. Was able to get almost 900 words written. I read what I wrote to my daughter and she said, "You wrote that? It's really good." I love getting strokes.

I got to write the villian today, it was really fun. What's the point if the villian isn't villianous? There is no conflict without him, no sense of impending danger. What is there for the hero or heroine to triumph over without him? What is there to push the characters to go outside themselves?

I have disengaged my self from the online writing groups. For me they tended to just be distracting. I got some lovely feed back from one fellow, Bob and will definitely take his comments to heart. But for now I just need to write.

Progress

I worked today on the big novel. I organized it. Now my novel sits in two folders. Folder one has the first sixteen chapters (75,092 words). Folder two has chapter seventeen and will hold the other chapters as they are finished. The exciting part is I have finished chapters 23-28; have eliminated chapter 22 and am almost finished with chapter eighteen. That means I only need three chapters for the two parts to meet and then two chapters to finish. I am closer than I realized. I wrote 437 words today and why that little bit should give me such a thrill I can not say.

Mike Gordon and Sting

Daniel, my son, is a huge fan of the improv band Phish. Today he told this story. Mike Gordon went to see Police in concert and after the concert he got to meet Sting. Sting gave him this advice. Don't listen to any music for six months and every day write something even if it's gibberish. Like 'my dog walked the baby in the park'. Eventually he said to work at getting a song from the idea stage to the finished and ready to record in one day Sting said that's how he got his album written and recorded.

The little light in my head went on. Of course this would work for writing stories as well as songs. I have read enough books to last a life time. I don't need to read anymore, at least for a while, that way I can put all my energy into writing.

I have people in ten different states wondering when I will ever get these stories I keep talking about published. And the feed back I got from writing.com has been very positive and very helpful. As always I'll keep you posted.

writing.com

Where do would be writers go? Not authors who's words are published in the slick pages of magazines or in the bright white pages of hard back tomes, but the dabblers who's heads are full of stories, We are the glassy eyed who sit in a room but are not there, instead we travel the halls of far off kingdoms, battle against evil and fall unrequitedly in love. Here we can open a window into our souls and hope for a gentle word from those who stop to take in the view. Welcome.
This is my intro to my portfolio on writing.com.
I am going to try this forum out to see if I can get my writing reviewed by other would be authors and to keep me motivated. I have spent the day on the forum when I should be cleaning my house or writing so it may turn out to be just a big distraction.

Oh joy and rapture! Have I mentioned that I got a laptop for my anniversary gift? I can sit anywhere I am comfortable and write to my hearts content.
Since last I blogged I have sent Callen and Thayla shopping at a bookstore (Tree of Life)[Chapter 4], Rosanna has had a close encounter with a ferocious bear (One Kiss)[Chapter 9] and Braden has explained resurrection to Jazmire at his father's wake (Heir)[Chapter 18]. I also added a scene in the hospital to Character Sketch, it may not stay it really doesn't further the plot. I think I must resolve myself to the idea of that story staying at the novella stage.
Progress is too slow and not steady enough but still it's progress.

Thin skinned dabbler

I recently entered a writing challenge. A story is outlined then the contestants write the first 13 lines of the story. The idea is based on the premise that the first page of a manuscript will probably only have about 13 lines on it so those lines need to be good enough and hooky enough to get an editor to read on. For the last two weeks my entry has been heavily panned. Notably this week,"That error, along with some sloppy writing, turns me off from this story".
It's hard to recover from such negative feedback when I get so little feedback of any kind on my work. It puts me in mind of the Harry Chapin song "Mr. Tanner." I posted that last stanza. I know how he feels. I am my best audience therefore that is who I will write for.
I love to write, I have stories swirling through my mind all the time, five at a time. I just don't have the tools I need to write effectively. I know what good writing is, it pulls you into the story so you aren't even aware of the writing. The words become amazing settings, well realized characters and story lines that draw you in emotionally.
I told myself last week I need to use my creative energy to write on my own stories, no more writing challenge but it is so seductive to hope someone will think your few short lines are magical.
Oh to have Shrunk and White poured into each crease of my brain so that my ideas come out as lyrical prose.
I will stop referring to myself as a writer, I am only a dabbler. It is enough if I enjoy the imperfect scrawlings.

Time Bandit

We battle through life pushing against the sands of time and wonder, as we see the silver trail of dust sift through our fingers, where all our hours and minutes have gone. It is unfathomable to me that nearly two months have past since my last entry. I have pecked away at the edges of several of my stories but never really sunk my teeth into the meat until today. With the teeth sinking and pecking I have written nearly 1200 words on the sequel, a little over a thousand words on the fairy tale but none on the main novel. I hang my head in shame. I will not have the manuscript ready for the May contest, sigh! Still without equivocation writing brings me the greatest joy. So I shall muddle on in my own erratic way.
I reread one of my favorite books this past week; Adam Bede by George Eliot. She is an artist with the written word painting beautiful pictures as backdrops to well realized characters. I can only aspire.

Anger management

Today I wrote my MC mad. It was fun. Stomping through the streets of the city trailed by his entourage. I got 1201 words written on the sequel.

On Writing

I finished reading Stephen King's book On Writing. I loved it for a number of reasons. First and foremost it gave me permission to read and read and read. It also helps me set my own head in order about what my priorities in writing should be. I write like I read. I have several stories going at one time; a book by the side of my bed, on the living room end table, in the car and possibly one in the bathroom. I often walk around with my finger in a book. And so goes my writing; in my head I will jump from getting Terran explorers out of the marshes, to having a dwarf cast a spell on a beleaguered Prince, to tromping the back streets of a city behind a troop of cats. I know I should spend my energy finishing one story before I write on another but that's not how my head works. Mr. King has helped me set a goal: one thousand words a day on the main novel and then any energy I have left on what ever else is swirling through my head. I wrote 1066 words today and didn't want to stop; the end of a chapter is in view and I want to rush to meet it. I love how once the creative juices start flowing they fill my veins with energy.

P.S. I couldn't stand it I had to finish the chapter another 406 words.

My Muse

I will go days on end and not find a minute to write. Whether it's domestic duties or a riveting book or no time on the computer it's still amounts to the same thing; no word count. Then my muse strikes and no obstacle can stop me from writing. Tonight I wrote 1206 words on the fairy tale rewrite.
My husband says that one of his favorite things about me, and there are hundreds he says, is to watch my face when I am reading or thinking about writing. He says I get this pleasant smile and my eyes light up. Tonight was one of those moments when I'm sure my face expressed absolute joy. I love the interplay between my hero and his nemesis and writing about their interaction has been a real treat. I look forward to them meeting up again.

Long Hand

With five people in my household ranging in age from 13 to 52 getting computer time becomes an exercise in patience. I have promised myself if I ever make any money at my writing it will go toward a lap top of my very own. Today the story was fairly bursting from my fingertips. I decided to write the old fashioned way; longhand. My daughter asked me what that meant. She said writing doesn't make your hands long so it makes no sense. Irregardless, I felt very good about my effort I got over 1300 words written in the sequel. I am muddling over a scene in the main novel so it once again has stalled me in that effort. Like my children each of the works begs for attention but some are just more vocal than others and doing much more interesting things so admittedly they are the ones that get the most attention from me.
Our Book Club read 'Little Women' this month, I am wracking my brain to remember if I read it before. I know I read 'Little Men' within the last ten years. I only read the first half before the meeting but was so enthralled that I finished it this week. What a delightful story. It was wonderful; great characters and highly moral. I can't recommend it enough as a reread or discover it for the first time.
My mother-in-law loved words and I found a million dollar one Louisa May Alcott uses: philoprovenitiveness which means-love of children.
Yes, I'm writing this in the middle of the night because all my competitors are in bed. So good night.

Signs and Omens

I often doubt my own right to write. I wonder if the projects I am doing are worthwhile. Then something happens call it coincidence, call it providence, I call it divine affirmation.
The sequel to my main novel has crept into my conscience and begged for me to give it voice. I started writing and 20 pages or so into it the doubt crept in. Then miraculously I am asked to give a Sunday School lesson on the theme of this sequel. Then a friend calls and asks me to come over. I thought we were going to discuss an adult literacy program she wanted to start. Instead she tells me she is thinking of writing a book. She used to work for a publishing company and did a lot of promotional things for them, so the publishing and promotional part is no problem but she just needs a muse and I'm it. It's another answer to a prayer now I have no excuses. The doors are open I just need to walk through. Now she has got me entering contests and looking at submitting stories for magazines. The ball is rolling I just need to try to keep up. Wheee!!!

Live to write

In all my stories I have a general idea of where I want my characters to go. I have the outline basically in my head or if it's too complicated I actually will make a written outline. Here is where the magic happens watching my characters come to life on the paper. Character 'A' needs to get from home to point 'B' where he meets Character 'B'. But the fun is watching them react, interact and converse. Most of the time I'm not sure what they are going to do until I start to type it and then they may take a little jog I wasn't anticipating or someone who was bad in my mind turns out to only be quirky once I get them on paper. I love to write and if no one ever reads anything I write it will not matter to me in the least because I enjoy reading it and am in ecstasies writing it. Today I got down 1270 words on the sequel to the epic fantasy/sf novel. Way to go me!

Writing Binge

It was wonderful, almost heady, I wrote all day today. I started with the long neglected love story and actually wrote 992 words, then 251 on the main novel and finally tonight I got 725 on the sequel. Grand total of 1968 words almost 2000. I wonder if the music helps. I listened to the last track on the soundtrack of What a Woman Wants on repeat. It's just a soft romantic instrumental piece. Then this evening I listen to Le Miserable.
Needless to say I more pleased than punch. The boys are waiting for the computer so I'll keep this short.
All I can say is Write On!!!

So B. It

I just finished reading Sarah Weeks Young novel called, So B. It. My sisters who are both school teachers recommended it. It was very good. Very gripping. I also finished the First of the Jimmy Fincher books. Lots of action and confusion.
I wrote today too. 484 words in the fairytale novel and 274 in the epic fantasy novel. It's amazing how it takes me the same amount of time to write a page and a half as it does for me to read a hundred pages.

Writing Log

I have decided that I would like to keep track of my writing. See if I can't be a little more consistent. I was so thrilled last week when I wrote 764 words on my fairy tale story but am disappointed that I haven't written anything since. I did research for the second in my 'Worlds Without End' series for about an hour today but that doesn't get the story down on paper. I am on a reading bing and have probably read 10-12 books in the past two weeks; mostly young adult fiction and light romance (no porn!)[read about five Laura London, romance novels: hero terrible rake, heroine a nubile innocent. Leven Thumps Eyes of the Want by Obert Skye. Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison. Dark Lord of Dernhold by Diane Wynn Jones(she wrote Howl's Moving Castle). My son-in-law gave me The Diving Bell and the Butterfly for Christmas: heartrending and thought provoking. Jenna Starborn, Sharon Shinn's Science fiction take on Jane Eyre. Currently reading the James Dashner series about Jimmy Fincher.]
I have heard that a good writer is a dedicated reader but at some point the reading has to end and the writing must start. I may be the only one who reads this but it's purpose is to keep me writing and writing and writing.