Originally posted May 29, 2012
This is probably more of a journal entry, but I wanted it here because it’s so important to me.
I have a niece currently in the Navy and several family members (living and deceased) who served in the military in the past. Not to mention several friends I met when I lived near Wright Patt AFB who used to serve or still serve.
Happy Memorial Day. Let’s not now, nor ever, forget those who have served and those who have died to give us the freedoms we currently enjoy
Originally posted May 25, 2012
I finished the first draft of my mystery the other day. It’s with the publisher being edited. What a great feeling. I started this blog oh so long ago to inspire others to see things through to the end and follow me on my journey as I wrote my book. As it turns out, I wrote a different book before I edited the book I was talking about, but I still finished a project, and that’s something. So now, let’s start the project I meant in the first place.
It’s time for me to revise Battle Scars (WIP, tentative title).
It’s time for you to work on your unfinished/unstarted project, too.
Originally posted May 21, 2012
I’m having a friend over today to help her with outlining some of her projects. She’s never done that before; she just sits at the computer and writes. And hey, let’s face it, that works for lots of us. But she feels she’s having organization problems, so I suggested outlining, which is something she’s never done and is struggling with. I never used to outline either, but now I find it an indispensible tool. I highly recommend it, whatever form your outline takes. Mine is pretty general, and involves using styles in Word and bullet points. Like I said, general.
She’s looking forward to today because she wants to figure her problems out. I’m looking forward to today because I haven’t taught in two years, and, while I by no means consider this a teaching session, it kind of feels good to help someone with something again. I miss teaching, because I always learned something as I taught, and I’m sure I’ll learn something again today.
And who doesn’t enjoy a morning having coffee with a friend?
Originally posted May 10, 2012
So last night was the final night of the short story seminar. It was so different from what I expected. I thought we were going to learn how to develop characters and plot and dialogue, etc. But it was really more of an analysis class. Which, in and of itself, isn’t bad. You can learn a lot from analysis. But I did more than my fair share of analysis when I was in college. I didn’t really want to do more of it now, especially when we didn’t get in depth with it in the class. We only scratched the surface, and analysis is only fun when you dig in. Still, I made some contacts and practiced my craft, which is really all you can ask of a seminar. So, all in all, I’d consider it a success. Now I have to get back to my novel. I’m about 60 pages away from the end, and I’m getting excited!
Originally posted May 1, 2012
My sister got published! Congratulations to Michele on her memoire essay “Letter to Krista” which was published in the Spring 2012 Issue of Pastiche.
Originally posted April 23, 2012
I’ve put my novel on hold to begin work on a mystery. I’m calling it Daddy Issues, but we all know that’s subject to change. I answered a call for writers to write mysteries for a publisher starting a sleuthing series. It’s been an interesting project so far. It’s difficult to write under someone else’s constraints, but I’m rising to the challenge. It’s helping me flex my writing muscles. I highly recommend breaking out of the norms and trying something new once in a while. Not only is it liberating, it helps us reach parts of our minds and hearts that we haven’t tapped in a while. It makes us better writers, and maybe better people. And it’s fun!
Originally posted March 28, 2012
Soapbox, here I am. I’m sorry, but people in Hollywood are paid far too much to write scripts (and actors to deliver the lines) in which the object of the sentence is made “I” just because it sounds fancy and proper. I might just be a small town girl from Vandergrift, PA, but I know the difference between “Sally and I” and “Sally and me” in a sentence. One is the subject, one is the object. If the writers don’t know which is which, they shouldn’t be the writers. The subject, or the actor, is always “I” and the object, or what is being acted upon, is always “me.” An easy trick to figure it out – drop the “Sally and” and listen to which sounds right. Then you’ll know. The rule definitely isn’t fancy=I and casual=me. And now I can get off my soapbox. I don’t like the view from up there, anyway.
Originally posted March 27, 2012
I start a new class tonight. It’s a six week workshop on short stories. We’ll be reading and analyzing existing works, doing in-class exercises, and working on a story of our own. Usually you hear about continuing education with respect to teachers, but I believe we can all benefit from it. I have a master’s degree in writing, but I’m taking this course. I haven’t been in school in nearly twenty years. I’m sure this instructor has a newer take on the topic than my professors did. And even if she doesn’t, it certainly won’t hurt for me to brush up on my skills. I’m excited to be in a learning environment as a student again. When I was a professor, I always told my students I learned from them, and I did, but this time I’ll be on the student side, and that’s a whole different perspective. Should be fun!
Originally posted March 21, 2012
It’s Spring Break. My kids are off school for the week and Corey’s parents have driven down from Pennsylvania to visit. I barely have time for posts, let alone writing. But that’s okay. It’s great visiting. We haven’t seen any family since Thanksgiving, and everyone’s having a blast.
But I’m not letting the time go to waste creatively. Not only are families a treasure trove of inspiration, I’m letting ideas percolate while I’m not writing. There have been some plot points that I’ve been stuck on that I’ve been letting simmer in the background. Hopefully I’m “unstuck” once I start writing again. I think I have the kinks worked out. It’s been refreshing not staring at the screen and wondering how to fix the problem. Without the pressure, the problems seem to have fixed themselves.
And I had a nice visit in the process.
Originally posted March 14, 2012
God bless the computer. Without it I would have had to wait until my critique group meets again to have help with my elevator pitch, and boy did I need help with that. As it was, I just fired off an email, and got an answer back just as fast. Jan, my “editor”, cut my 114 words down to 55. And I didn’t have to wait for my group meeting.
Why am I working on a pitch now when I don’t have a finished manuscript? Because I want to be ready when anyone asks what my book is about, especially if that anyone is an agent or editor. It’s best to have a clear, coherent pitch ready to go.
I have a good pitch, and a decent first draft. Now all I need is an elevator… and a finished manuscript