Kristan Hoffman - Writing Dreams Into Reality
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Fri May 28 2010

Internal juggle

Another reason I may not stick with Writerly Wednesdays: They make it too obvious when I go awhile without blogging!

(In case y’all hadn’t noticed, I aim for a MWF schedule. So if I skipped today and didn’t blog until Mon — or even Tues, since Mon is a holiday! — then you’d all be like, Dude, what’s up with that? Kristan is such a slacker! And I am. But I don’t want you to know it!)

Thing is, I haven’t had that much to blog about. I do my best to portray what the life of an aspiring writer is like (or at least this aspiring writer), but a lot of it is, well, boring. Sleep, eat, work, write. Every day is a variation on those themes. Oh, there are highs and lows, but mostly there are plateaus. Long periods where nothing really happens.

At least, nothing external.

Inside, I’ve got a ton going on. After all, I’m working out the lives of 3 young women. I’m trying to understand their deepest desires — and more importantly, their greatest fears — and then figuring out how to make them face those things. How to help them achieve their dreams. How to make them suffer, and then how to help them recover.

Since there are 3 of them, this is a bit of a juggling act. Catch one, and that means another is in the air, while the third is about to be thrown. If you do it well, you can put on quite a show. If not, all 3 fall and you’re left shamefaced.

How’s it going so far? Well, let’s just say I don’t envy clowns.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely Memorial Day Weekend. Got any special plans? Me, I’ll just be continuing my long, slow trek across this plateau…

filed Filed under: Reading/Writing
No Comments
  1. T.S. Bazelli says:
    Fri May 28 2010 at 2:40 PM

    I know what you mean. I originally intended my blog as a journal, but ah, most of the time I’m just sitting at a computer or reading… hehe not very exciting at all.

    Those internal lives do take a lot of energy to sort out. :) Hope you have a good weekend.
    .-= • Recent post by T.S. Bazelli: Flash Fiction: A Gift for Mother =-.

  2. Lee says:
    Fri May 28 2010 at 3:03 PM

    I also agree, Kristan. What is there to say but:

    10am: Sat at computer
    1pm: Sat at computer
    3pm: Sat at computer

    But, you can always talk about what you’re reading. Let us know what you’re reading these days. Let us know how it’s changing your thoughts on your own work. That’s a blog post a week right there, yeah?
    .-= • Recent post by Lee: Further Webpagery =-.

  3. Emily Jane says:
    Fri May 28 2010 at 3:49 PM

    That’s okay :) Even if you don’t blog for a little while we’ll still be here when you do. Have a good long weekend :)
    .-= • Recent post by Emily Jane: Masked! AKA “The One Wherein I Lose Any Street Cred I Ever Had” =-.

  4. Les says:
    Fri May 28 2010 at 4:31 PM

    it’s hard to think of what to blog about some days. I try for daily… but if I miss one I’m not gonna kill myself over it ;)

  5. Kristan says:
    Fri May 28 2010 at 7:14 PM

    Lee-
    That’s a really good idea! DUR. Especially because I read almost all the time…

  6. Sonja says:
    Fri May 28 2010 at 7:42 PM

    I agree that it would be very difficult to write about what you’re writing while you’re writing it. The getting published/getting an agent part seems more blog friendly. Then again, you don’t want to piss off any publishers/agents, and bitching about them would probably be the mist fun part.

  7. albie says:
    Sat May 29 2010 at 1:02 AM

    i did NOT notice you posted MWF lol…

  8. Jill Wheeler says:
    Sat May 29 2010 at 7:07 AM

    “I don’t envy clowns.”

    Very intriguing!!
    .-= • Recent post by Jill Wheeler: where we get our ideas =-.

  9. Caroline Starr Rose says:
    Sat May 29 2010 at 6:00 PM

    Thanks for your kind words over at the GLA blog!
    .-= • Recent post by Caroline Starr Rose: Interview with Pat Brisson, author of THE BEST AND HARDEST THING =-.

  10. elissa janine says:
    Sat May 29 2010 at 6:39 PM

    haha, I hadn’t noticed your posting schedule, either…I just know that when you pop up in my feed reader, I’m like, yay! Kristan Post Must Read It! :D
    .-= • Recent post by elissa janine: a teacher moment… =-.

  11. Sarah says:
    Sun May 30 2010 at 8:07 AM

    Yeah, I’m right there with you. At least you don’t whine about having nothing to say…some writer’s make that mistake and it’s hard to read. As far as blogging is concerned, sometimes it’s best to follow the example of those people who are quietly observing and gathering wisdom and then come out with a cracker of an insight. They don’t have a schedule for blogging, but wait to share something important.
    .-= • Recent post by Sarah: Sun Stretch =-.

  12. Kristan says:
    Mon May 31 2010 at 4:32 PM

    Sonja-
    Actually I don’t have much to b*tch about. I don’t really get worked up about the agent search. But yes, “they” do warn you not to blog about it too much, because even good things could end up working out poorly for you (like if you blog about how much you love Agent A, and Agent B comes upon it, they might not want to work with you because they know they’re your second choice).

    Albert-
    You wouldn’t notice a bird if it flew into your face.

    Jill-
    I’m going to guess it’s the first time anyone has ever said those exact words in reference to plotting. :P

    elissa janine-
    Aww!

    Sarah-
    I like having a schedule, but I agree that it’s not a good idea to whine just b/c one has nothing to say. Hopefully that’s not how this came across! If/when that happens to me, I’d rather post more vignettes, ya know? :)

  13. Samantha Bennett says:
    Mon May 31 2010 at 9:23 PM

    Fellow plateau dweller here. :) I agree. On the outside, looks like a lot of sameness. Inside? Progress! Even if it’s baby progress it still counts, right? Good luck!
    .-= • Recent post by Samantha Bennett: Brainstorming Buds =-.

  14. Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist says:
    Tue Jun 1 2010 at 9:32 AM

    I feel you, Kristan. I try to chronicle the life of an aspiring author and often I am reaching for a blog post. Sometimes I wonder if I should do a daily record IF and WHEN I took a shower, IF and WHEN I changed out of pajamas, and the number of times I hit “Word Count” to see of I’d reached my daily goal yet.
    .-= • Recent post by Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist: Interview with Allison Winn Scotch (and a book giveaway!) =-.

  15. Angie says:
    Tue Jun 1 2010 at 10:04 AM

    As cool as plateaus are, climb the mountain! It’s obvious Mengfei and I are super excited still, but to be honest, we have no idea what it’s like to push yourself daily and write a novel, let alone about three strong women (we should know :D). If there is anyone who can juggle their stories and share with the world 20SW, it’s you.

  16. Kristan says:
    Tue Jun 1 2010 at 10:41 AM

    Samantha-
    Progress is progress is progress. Period. :)

    Rebecca-
    Lol. Don’t worry, you’re not alone in all that.

    Angie-
    Thanks! I think I can. No, I KNOW I can. ‘Cause I got friends like you!

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