Sloooooow going...eeeesh.

I'm off to a rocky Nano start. I sure hope I pick up steam, because if I don't, there's not a snowball's chance in Hades I'll get this sucker off the ground! But a start is......a start. And nothing gets done if you don't start. I think I've started four times now, but who's counting?

Writing used to be so much easier. I think I'm torn in too many different directions and there's only so much focus I can apply. Boy, it'd be nice to power through a project for a change. Oy.

NanoWrimo, Once Again!

I don't know how many years I've attempted NanoWrimo, only to crap out at week...three, maybe? Well, here goes again! Same damned story, revamped considerably already. Yeah, yeah, I know...that's not how Nano is supposed to work but I figure the WIP has morphed so dramatically from last year, it's a whole new novel. Wish me luck! :D

Restart Number 1,312?

Man, I can't get this derned tale off the ground. Is it supposed to be this hard? Is this an indication that I'm off in a ditch with it? Am I putting too much weight on a First Novel? Probably all of the above. But if I don't soldier on with it, there will never be a First Novel...a Second Novel...hell, ANY novel. I'm torn between writing the book I want to read (self-indulgently blathering on with it, quality be damned) vs. doing a good job. BAH! Again, I say BAH!

OMG...I'm writing!

The story has officially begun, even though I don't have a word count. The kids and I are jockeying for position on the computer, so it's all in chicken scrawl right now. Teaser: it involves researching luxury yachts...

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Thanks to my patient, secretly creative husband, I made real headway on 'The Plot Arc That Will Not Die' over the weekend. Sure, it still needs fleshing out and that dreaded Sagging Middle isn't so much 'sagging' as 'nonexistent', but it's actually a pretty slender middle as the outline is creeping inwards from both ends. Just gotta make 'em meet! Hopefully that will happen tonight. But now I'm wondering, how important is a 'happily ever after' ending? Hmmmm.........

Warm-up Work

Going out of town this weekend to plant a surprise garden for my mom's 70th birthday while she's gambling her little heart out in Atlantic City. Will take this chance to work on my fledgling novella in the car. Hopefully this will make me less gun-shy to commit to 'The Snowglobe Prophecy'! Tentative working title of the warm-up work: 'Violet's Hour'. See you Monday!

Hmmm...new project, perhaps...

Okay, so apparently I'm not ready to write my Novel yet (big 'n'). I stare at it in horror every time I think of stringing its words together, poor thing. Maybe a minty fresh novella is in order. A new e-publisher is soliciting less wordy stuff, and this might be the ideal opportunity to loosen up, do something sans pressure, find my voice. I suspect my self-imposed expectations are getting in the way of The Snowglobe Prophecy. I'm terrified of failing it. I might be too emotionally invested. Distance. I think I need distance. Or beer.

Still Arc-ing, I Swear!

Blech, this 'creating a plot arc' biz is more difficult than I thought. BUT! After working and reworking what I have so far, I think I've cooked up a much better first-half than originally conceived. Now, however, I'm running dry. I think I'll just get to writing and let the story and the characters yell at me. Or nag my husband; he's really quite brilliant at thinking out of the box...a great Ideas man.

I found that scribbling my existing scenes on note cards and spreading them out on the living room floor is a kick-ass way to mastermind a plot. You can shift things around easily and visualize lots of what-ifs. Just thought I'd share that wee germ of wisdom. And I do mean 'germ'.

Happy Humpday, my literary lurkers!

Arc Shmarck!

Okay, I actually sat down last night, notes and 'outline' on lap, and tried to create a plot arc to help me flesh out my wannabe novel. I didn't have as much juicy material as I thought I did! Not surprisingly, the middle of the book is flagging. Got my beginning, got my end, now...to bridge the two. I mean, how many books have we all read that contain this awkward, draggy middle bit? Too many. Gotta remedy that. This day is busy; art in the morning, laundry, weeding in the garden at some point, and major plottings in around making curry for dinner. Wish my DAY flagged a little in the middle! Anywho, off to the races!

ACK!

Missed a day. I blame my migraine, except it's still visiting, like a tiresome in-law. Maybe I'll post TWICE today! (Go ahead...hold your breath...)

Monday, Monday!

Had an UBERfun weekend, so now I'm jazzed and ready to roll! After sushi for lunch with the hubs, that is. :D

I sat in on a cool panel with some scifi authors at the con, and though that's not really my genre, they touched on an important point: staying true to your own world's mythos. I just finished the modern vampire novel 'Bottomfeeder' by B. H. Fingerman, and something about the ending really bothered me. Couldn't put my finger on it, until...

(SPOILER ALERT!) For the most part, his vampires were very traditional re. sunlight, non-aging, drinking blood, yadda...but then he broke the 'aging' rule for ONE character, just to throw the reader off. I felt thoroughly manipulated. I mean, WTF? Apart from that, the tale was well written, and that's a huge admission from me because as a rule, I hate stories penned in the first person. Okay, maybe the protagonist was mysteriously well-versed in artsy fartsy stuff for his working-class background, but overall the narrator's voice was readable and entertaining. Far too often, first person narratives are PAINFUL to read. Moreso than third person, in my book. Just my personal buggaboo. But Fingerman broke his own world's mythos, just to give the ending a surprise twist. And I nearly flushed the book down the toilet.

*phew!* I feel SO much better now, having purged that rant! Now, on to far more productive stuffs, like a spicy California Roll in a soy wrap...mmmmmmmmm........

Nuthin' today, or this weekend...

We're heading off to a convention (ConGlomeration) this weekend--well, tomorrow, actually--so I've been packing and making business cards and prints and...

You get the idea. So this blog gets a brief respite until Monday, at which point, I should have much to share. Ta, babies!

Going to a con this weekend in Louisville, KY (one of my favorite cities, I must say.) ConGlomeration...a little gaming, a little art, a little writing. So I hope to get to some panels and revitalize my creative mojo. No, I still haven't done that effing story arc. What's wrong with me?! Oh, wait, that's right...I have three kids, an occasionally needy husband who's home all the time and 19 other 'hobbies' that pull me off in a gazillion directions. Might be time for Spring Cleaning...anyone want to borrow a male for a while? I'm swimming in them.

Hamster

Monday Monday

Okay, so no post yesterday. Hey, it was Easter AND the family's weekly gaming day so I have a valid excuse or three, right? I didn't get the plot arc done yet either. I SO SUCK. Today, dammit, today! I swear.......honest..........

What's on the docket for today?

I think I'll do a plot arc today. I happened upon a 'how-to' in a book or on-line somewhere. (What did I do with it?!) I've got a well-expounded outline, but my fear is it's too ambitious. A lot I've been reading lately has been tighter, less plotty and more character driven, which frankly, is the way I like it. I enjoy the immersion, not flipping back every few pages to figure out who's that character or wait, when did they get here? (Apologies to G.R.R. Martin and Tolkein, but man, you guys really like to see yourselves type, don't ya?)

So, if anyone's out there, what kind of book do you like? I'll just leave that question flapping in the virtual breeze, just in case I get a follower someday. Off to the races...

And so it begins.

Okay, so I've had this novel, in outline form, for about three years now. It hounds me, nips at my heels like Paris Hilton's lapdog. This blog is my potentially sad little attempt at getting said novel into some sort of publishable state. I may find, along the trip, that I'm a shitty writer. Here's hoping I'll improve. If nothing else, it will silence that migraine-inducing yap I hear in my brain.

Baby steps. My first goal is to post in this blog every day, with the intention of making some progress, however small, on 'The Snowglobe Oracle' (working title.) The genre is Urban Fantasy/Paranormal/Supernatural/Whateveryouwannacallit. It's inspired by a bunch of my on-line buds and our mutual attempts at storytelling. I owe them much. When I'm rich and famous, I'll throw a grand soiree and invite them all. Might even buy cars. ("YOU get a car and YOU get a car!" said, a la Oprah.) And no, it will not have sparkly vampires or a Happily Ever After ending. Fuck that noise.

As you might have already noticed, this blog will be a bit bawdier than my art one. It's purpose is not marketing or to inspire anyone but myself. It's to get me in the vibe of the book and discuss issues that will certainly arise. But hey, if anyone else happens to glean something from it, or has a cent or two to share, consider my bloggish door open and the beers ice cold. With lime. Yes, I fruit my beer.

And with that, we're off! Wish me luck, dear lurker...