(I do not own this image, but the words are TRUE.)
Have you ever taken a break from writing?
I have. To be honest, the “break” I just finished up was more of a three-year hiatus than anything. There were a lot of reasons for it–depression, a major health issue, school–but that doesn’t make me feel any better about taking it.
The thing is, I miss writing. An ex of mine used to tell me I needed to write if I started getting too grumpy, and that’s probably true. (Kind of explains my moodiness lately, as well.) Blog-writing helps stave off the attitude somewhat, but getting eyeball-deep in fiction will almost for-sure “cure” the problem.
(I do not own this image.)
I’m eager to leap back into the thick of things, to pull a blanket of words over my head and just snuggle into them. Except, of course, I have no idea where I was going with the Siren story….
Not to mention, I want to revise Witches, and I haven’t touched it in years.
So, I think a bit of planning is in order, first. Wait. Pre-work. I meant pre-work. I already have a plan: do all the things! NO. No. I need an idea of where the story is going, first, before I dive in and start writing. Otherwise, I’ll end up with another 300,000-word monstrosity to revise.
Okay, new plan: HTRYN for Witches, brainstorm a general outline for the Siren story and work through HTTS for it. Okay. I have a plan.
Pamela Dumond “discovered” Erin Brokovich’s story and brought it to the big screen. She has written several novels, including young adult, new adult, romance, and self-help. Her new book, Part-Time Princess, is the first book in the Ladies-in-Waiting series.
Lucy Trabbicio has a life. It’s not a fantastic one, but she gets by, as a cocktail waitress at a biker bar. Money is tight, so when a mysterious job opportunity comes her way, she’s intrigued. Turns out the job is to impersonate Lady Elizabeth Billingsley as she travels to the tiny country of Fredonia, to keep Prince Cristoph Timmel interested while Lady Elizabeth takes care of some personal business in the U.S.
Lucy is skeptical, but the paycheck is more than she can turn down, so she agrees, enduring the ensuing whirlwind of makeovers, beauty treatments, and lessons. A princess has to walk, talk, dress, and eat a certain way, after all. Before she knows it, Lucy is off to the Alps and her new identity.
On the flight, she meets bad-boy Nick, who seems to have a very personal history with Lady Elizabeth. Lucy is drawn to Nick, but she’s not who he thinks she is. And Nick isn’t Prince Cristoph, so he isn’t part of the job. Soon, Lucy is swept up in the romance and drama of the royal lifestyle. But parties aren’t enough to satisfy her, and she finds herself drawn to Nick, despite “her” engagement to Cristoph. Lucy is desperate to keep up the façade, even when someone tries to kill her, and Lady Elizabeth promises she’ll be back before the wedding.
But what if she isn’t? Will Lucy continue in her role as someone else, or will she admit who she really is, and risk losing her newfound friends and family?
Part-Time Princess is lighthearted and funny, with breathless romance and mystery, too. The breezy style makes the pages fly by, and Lucy’s antics will have the reader laughing and hoping through every chapter.
So…School is out. Vacation is over. Real life has started again. That means it’s time to get back to writing. Yay! In that direction, I went through the “Writing” folder on my computer on Sunday.
And found 67 pages of a story I don’t even remember writing, for NaNo 3 years ago. I read probably 15 pages before I believed that I actually wrote it. It’s a YA about the Sirens and Spartans, but set in the here-and-now. It was kind of like having an out-of-body experience, reading through something I have no memory of writing. (The writing took place about 6 months pre-stroke, and I stopped when my depression got really bad).
Yesterday, I found the story notebook for my newly rediscovered story. That’s the good news. The bad news…in it is one piece of paper with 40 words on it. Mainly character names. No plot ideas, no outline, nothing else. Also some printed out research on sirens and the like. It appears that I will be basically starting from scratch, because, let’s face it, I’m totally sucked into the 67 pages of MS I have. I was seriously like “Did I write this? It’s really good!” Guess what just got bumped to the top of my to-write list?
That’s not strictly true. I want to get going on The Fall again, too. I’ve only got a few chapters written, and I need to change some stuff that my Muse gave me over the past few months when I wasn’t supposed to be writing (my Muse is, apparently, a rebel). An outline would, perhaps, be helpful. Or, heck, even a basic idea of where the story was going. At this point, I’m flailing around in the fog, only able to see two steps in front of me.
I also discovered a tiny bit of another story, along with its notebook and partial outline, as well as a good bit of notes for a third story. I think 4 WIPs is a bit excessive, even for me. My Muse either fainted from excitement, or went on strike, I’m not sure which.
Let’s not forget my to-be-revised list, which grows ever longer. Sigh…Think I’m gonna start with Witches, though. Cutting down that 300,000 word behemoth is going to be…tricky, but the characters are talking to me. Or, possibly, I’m hearing voices….Yeah, it could be either one.
Writing question of the day: does anyone else juggle multiple stories at the same time? Some tips would be helpful. And very much appreciated.
The week before last, I hiked the Grand Canyon with my best friend. The original plan was to do the Rim to Rim hike (start on the South Rim, hike down, across, and up the North Rim). That’s not what happened. Instead, I got dehydrated pretty bad on the way down—despite drinking 80 oz. of water (with electrolytes) and snacking on salty foods—so we ended up at the ranger’s station so I could get checked out, since I didn’t have the “normal” signs of dehydration. Then, we stayed overnight at the bottom of the canyon, at Phantom Ranch, and hiked out the next day.
Longest two days of my life.
But I did learn some things on the hike.
“Grand Canyon miles” are not the same as “regular” miles. Not at all. I’m sure the altitude was affecting me more than I could tell at the time, but it took us something like 2 hours to go 1 ½ miles on the way up. Seriously? Yes, I know we were hiking up the freaking Grand Canyon, but both of our trackers said we’d been something like 5 miles, not the measly 1 ½ miles the posted signs claimed.
The most beautiful part of the hike, the bottom half of Bright Angel.
Hiking the Grand Canyon is not a good way to get over acrophobia. I am terrified of heights. Hiking down the Kaibab trail, which is basically 7 miles of stairs down the face of a cliff, is not a therapeutic way of dealing with this fear. My BFF kept saying things like “Oh, how beautiful. Look!” My response was something along the lines of “Nope. Take pictures. I’ll look when we get back.”…while staying as close to the wall of the canyon as possible, eyes glued to the two foot of ground immediately in front of my feet. My mental reply was more like “Absolutely not! I’m clinging to the side of a cliff and you want me to appreciate scenery?! The only scenery I’d appreciate right now is the flat ground at the top of this canyon. I DON’T CARE!”
Side note: I’m still afraid of heights.
Just above the first stop on the way down Kaibab.
Heed the warning signs. There are signs posted everywhere, at the top of the canyon, on the way down, everywhere, warning people not to hike to the canyon floor and back. They are correct. You shouldn’t do it.
I don’t care how beautiful it is—and it was absolutely breathtaking—nothing is worth the complete misery that was this hike. 7 ½ hours down 7 miles of uneven “stairs” on the side of a sheer cliff, 9 miles up a more-gradual ascent up through a ravine (We took an “easier” trail up. Ha. Where “easier” means “still virtually impossible and insane. But not quite on the very edge of the freaking cliff.). There were times I considered jumping off the cliff, just so it would be over. True story.
Beautiful, yes. Repeatable? No.
This hike is what hell is like. Hiking up, or down (which is worse) interminable switchbacks on the side of a cliff, with no water, while demons run along behind you, stabbing you with a pitchfork at every step. That is what this hike felt like.
Bottom line: I’m glad I got to see the Grand Canyon. I’d have been even more glad to see it strictly from the rim. If you’re ever tempted to hike it, don’t. It’s not worth it. No matter how pretty it is.
I think this was on the way up, but I really can’t remember.
Criminal Confections, by Colette London (I do not own this image. Image belongs to Kensington publishers.)
Colette London is a best-selling novelist with dozens of books to her credit. Her newest book, Criminal Confections, is the first book in the decadent Chocolate Whisperer series.
Chocolate is more than a dessert to Hayden Mundy Moore and the elite of the chocolate world, it’s a necessity of life, like breathing. Hayden is The Chocolate Whisperer; she goes into troubled chocolate businesses, finds out what the problem is, and helps them right the wrongs. When her current employer invites her to an elite chocolate retreat, she expects a fun time, and plenty of chocolate, of course.
What she gets is murder.
The chef winds up dead the first night, and as Hayden discovers more, she starts to wonder if perhaps she was the real target. Determined to find out, she starts asking questions. As the body count climbs, so do Hayden’s suspicions. Is it her demanding new boss? Perhaps the senile former boss? The rival chocolatier who knows too much? Or maybe her attractive best friend, Danny, who has a hidden dark side from his secret past?
The only two things Hayden knows for sure are that she really wants to solve this mystery before she winds up dead, and she wants to meet Trevor, her financial advisor with the sexy voice, in person after listening to all his good advice over the phone for far too long.
That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
This light-hearted cozy mystery will have the reader hungry for more: more romps set in Hayden’s whirlwind world, more adventures with Danny by her side, more flirty conversations with Trevor, and more chocolate. Scrumptious recipes are included in the book, so at least there won’t be a wait for those, even if the next book in the series isn’t out until September.
How is it that my to-do list is longer now than it was before the semester ended? Seriously? It’s summer. Aren’t I supposed to be relaxing and doing nothing? Ha. Hahahaha. Not so much.
On the up side, at least it isn’t full of homework! And 2/3 of the items on the list are now writing-related, so that’s a huge improvement. Granted, it’s not actual writing, but at least it’s related. I gotta have a little bit of relaxation, too, so there’s some of that. Planning on seeing the new Avengers movie later today. And hopefully a brief (3-mile) workout, too, if the weather will cooperate. I swear Noah will be here any minute, which makes it difficult to train for the 20+-mile hike of the Grand Canyon I’m going on…two weeks from tomorrow!
On a side note related to my to-do list…does anyone know anything about either elance.com or odesk.com? I’ve seen a few things, and I’m curious/interested. Just looking for a bit of hands-on info.
This semester is finally over! I’m thrilled, to say the least. It’s funny, I couldn’t focus on writing with school stuff floating in the back of my brain, but the last two weeks, I’ve been feeling the writing itch going stronger, so I know the Muse is ready to get back to work. And so am I. This first “off” week, I plan to get everything situated and organized, and figure out exactly what I intend to work on this summer (Yes, I have to have a plan.). Then I’ll get started.
The Spinster Bride, by Jane Goodger (I do not own this image. Image by Lyrical Trade.)
Jane Goodger is an author in love with all things Victorian: houses, clothes, carriages, so it’s no wonder she writes Victorian romances. Her latest book, The Spinster Bride, is the last book in the Lords and Ladies series.
Marjorie Penwhistle was once the belle of the Season, with men at her feet and the world on a plate. Now, at the ripe old age of 23 and still unmarried, she’s on the verge of becoming a spinster. Good thing Marjorie doesn’t care about that. She wants to live her life, travel, and care for her brother, who’s a bit different and the recipient of their mother’s ire. When Marjorie isn’t the recipient of it herself, that is, since her mother insists that she marry a man of title and wealth, and won’t take “no” for an answer.
Charles Norris doesn’t have a title. What he does have is a war wound that makes him bitter, and a desire for a wife and a family of his home. He also has a tendency to fall in love with completely the wrong women, so he blackmails Marjorie into helping him find a suitable bride.
Clandestine meetings, secret notes left in hidden spots, and covert plots draw the two together as they search for the perfect wife for Charles. Along the way, they become friends, and fully appreciative of the stellar qualities of the other. It’s a good thing they are entirely unsuitable for each other. Or are they?
The Spinster Bride is a humorous tale of romance and light intrigue, and characters that will make you laugh, sigh, and root for them to see the light. The relationship that develops between Marjorie and Charles shows real depth as the characters show their secret selves and realize perhaps the one they were looking for was right in front of them all along.
So, finals are next week, which means I’ll (hopefully) getting back into the writing thing in a couple of weeks. Until then, I have essays to revise and a portfolio to put together. Eep.
It’s strange, considering I’ve never thought about a piece of writing as representative of my capabilities as a whole. Perhaps that’s because I generally write novel-length fiction, not short pieces. Long pieces of writing are easier to see as a whole, not as pieces of a whole, so looking at my writing in that slightly different way has been a learning experience.
I’ve finished the first draft of my long final essay–about my feelings on organized religion and why I feel the way I do. I’ve selected two essays to use in the portfolio–one a fictionalized account of two brothers in Hurricane Katrina, and one an account of my experiences with race in my hometown. (That one is pretty personal, but I am so happy with how it turned out.) I have to pick at least one more piece to include, which will probably be a literary analysis. Then I have to revise all of them and put the portfolio together.
So, I’ve been doing writing. Just…a horse of a different color, if you will.
So, I got feedback from my other essay yesterday, the one I was wondering about while waiting for feedback from the first free-form essay. It was highly favorable. The professor loved it, except for my next-to-last-sentence, which was, he said, the only one he would change. That sentence was a cliché, which slip into my writing without me even noticing.
Should I have caught it? Definitely. Was he right? Absolutely. Am I upset about the feedback? Are you kidding me? I’ve learned a lot from this class, especially from his comments. I got very detailed feedback, several paragraphs long, on this essay. He took the time to tell me how much and why he liked my voice, my setting, my characters…and what I did at the very end that erased all of that hard work. Knowing the positives about the essay, and what negated them, allows me to actually learn this lesson, instead of just getting the grade.
The point of his feedback: cliché= laziness. Laziness is bad and undoes all of your hard work. So….don’t be lazy: avoid cliché!
Tomorrow Is Another Day 