The weather here has been pretty awesome lately. A balmy 50-60 degrees and mostly sun. (Hmm, a complete disconnect from my current header image… Oops. Oh well.) Riley’s been having a blast walking around the neighborhood again, and playing with the new puppy next door. They are painfully adorable together. I’ll work on getting pictures.
I’d like to blame the weather for my complete lack of productivity today, but I can’t. I’ve done exactly nothing on my to-do list today, and it’s mostly because I’ve been reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Until page 60, I wasn’t sure if I’d like the book or not, but since then I’ve been completely absorbed. Ford’s prose is simple, elegant, and moving. And I’m so glad, because he seemed like a wonderful person when I met him at a local reading.
My other reason is that things at work are busier than normal, because we’re moving to a new building in a couple weeks. Between now and then, I’ll be handling a lot of logistics, plus after we move I’ll go back to a 5-day work schedule for a 10-week transition period. I’m not exactly looking forward to the reduced writing time, but my work has been very accommodating to me and my writing so far, so this is the least I can do. (And hopefully after the 10 weeks pass, I’ll have figured out a way to make my 4-day part-time schedule work in the new location.)
Furthermore, I’m hoping that my recent consistency and good habits will help keep me on track through the move. Because that’s the thing about being a writer, you know? There’s never a perfect time or situation. So you always have to make it work. Make yourself work.
So yeah, that’s what’s up for the foreseeable future. But hey, at least my workspace (both current and future) has lots of big windows so I can enjoy all this sunshine!
WIP update: I’m 8,400 words in, and stumbling through Chapter 3. I also injected additional material into Chapter 2 and need to shuffle some stuff from 2 to 1. It’s not exactly revising, but it’s not exactly progressing either. So I’m trying to make sure I allot most of my daily word quota to moving forward through my outline. That April deadline is looking less and less likely, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop aiming for it!
To my credit, I am writing steadily, if not quickly. Last night I almost went to bed without finishing (or really even starting) my quota, just because I was so exhausted. Well, okay, I did go to bed. I shut down my computer, moved Riley to Andy’s side, and even got settled under the nice warm covers. But my guilt wouldn’t let me sleep. So I got back out and wrote. Darn you, conscience!
(Or really: thank you, conscience!)
I am still tired, though, so I’ve only got 2 thoughts for you today:
1.
On Wednesday night, a girlfriend and I went to see Valentine’s Day. From a writing standpoint, there were a lot of problems. The ideas were good, but the execution was mediocre/rushed, probably because there were so many storylines. But overall I enjoyed the film, and I did guffaw embarrassingly on several occasions.
My favorite storyline was actually the one featuring Eric Dane, aka McSteamy from Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t want to give it away, so I’ll just say that it was unexpected and refreshing and really well done.
2.
There are a lot of writing rules. Don’t start with conjuctions. Show, don’t tell. Always kill off a character. Never kill off a character. So on and so forth.
I think it’s good to know the “rules,” but I think it’s also good to break them sometimes. Because really they’re just guidelines, meant to help beginning writers develop their skills to a point where they (the writer, not the rules) are good enough. Good enough that a reader won’t care if they start a sentence with “And,” or tell us how the villain felt, or kill off a character and then bring him back to life. Or whatever.
Along those lines, Natalie Whipple held a contest this week, challenging people to start a story with weather. (Another no-no.) The results were pretty awesome. My favorite was the first place winner; I thought her story was incredible. So much packed into so few words! I was also quite impressed with the 12 year old girl who received honorable mention. Her first line definitely hooked me, and then there was a melancholy, contemplative tone that made me sympathize with the main character. Click here to read the stories. (They’re short, only 250 words each!)
All right, I’m headed home (from my Panera office) to play with my dog, read, and probably nap. Peace out, cub scout!
Since “hope is on the horizon” for me (as my writing group put it) I’d like to spread the good vibes. Here are some great links and opportunities:
- This one’s a little short notice (sorry!) but the Kenyon Review is running their annual short story contest through Feb 28th. Final judge is Louise Erdrich, and grand prize is publication AND a scholarship to their 2010 writing workshop. I went to the workshop in 2009 and loved it.
- My friend Mary just started a new blog called Out of Texas (“and into the rest of the world!” – hehe, so cute). Unfortunately the shiny fun newness of it is making me want a Tumblr too. Because, you know, I don’t have enough social media outlets. o_O MUST RESIST.
- The fantabulous Kiersten White and Natalie Whipple participated in a round-table with two other writers, and the resulting discussion CHARMED MY PANTS OFF. (Not literally. Or at least not that I’m admitting to.) It also introduced me to Sean Ferrell, a friendly, funny guy whose book Numb sounds awesome.
- Sigriddaughter’s 7th Glass Woman contest is seeking short fiction and creative nonfiction submissions from female writers. I actually know, via WritingForums.com, the woman who won last year. I had even critiqued her piece there! We’re not BFF or anything, but it was totally cool (and a little surreal) to read her piece and realize I already knew it. It also makes the possibility of winning seem more real/attainable, you know?
- And last but definitely not least, Writer Unboxed is looking for an unpublished writer to contribute monthly. WU is a great resource for writers of all genres, and features a rotating panel of authors, from YA writer Kathleen Bolton, to NYTimes Bestseller Allison Winn Scotch, to podcast-to-book deal extraordinaire J.C. Hutchins. Click here for details on how to apply, and yes, I’ll be tossing my hat into the ring.
Okay, now back to my regularly scheduled work/writing/Olympics-watching mayhem. (PS: How awesome was Yu-Na Kim last night?! And Mirai is just adorable. I can’t wait to see the free skate programs tonight.)
WIP update: I’ve written Chapter 1 and have been wrestling Chapter 2 for days. Yesterday I finally got him in a headlock, and today he’s going down for the count! Then it’s on to Chapter 3…
Things are moving. Up, down, sideways, I don’t know. But they’re going, and that’s exciting!
The evidence:
- I am Kiersten’s first Query Week
victim guinea pig winner! (Er, no, it wasn’t actually a contest… but whatever.) Today both Kiersten and her agent Michelle Wolfson — and several helpful readers! — gave me feedback on a query letter I’ve been sending out for Twenty-Somewhere. Overall verdict: well-written but vague. So I’ve already taken that feedback, revised the query, and will send it to a few more agents. It’ll be great to see how responses compare to the Before and After versions.
- I finished my outline!!! That means I’m ready to start writing my WIP! Well, almost ready. See, I’m going to start writing it — today! today! — but I’ll have to stop at Chapter 3 if I can’t think of a name for one of my male characters. I mean, I guess I can put {Insert Name Here} as a placeholder and do a Find & Replace later. But somehow I think that’s not as fun.
- Okay, there is no 3… yet! But hey, how about those Olympics?
No really, how about those Olympics? Is anyone else watching? Who are you rooting for? Do you like how the media turned the Chinese pair skaters Shen and Zhao into a fairytale? I actually did enjoy that, and I cried for them a little when they won gold. (Yes, I am a sap.)
- Sparkling grape juice
- Playing in 6″ of snow with your dog
- Building a world (done!) and outlining the accompanying novel (started…)
- Good sports games, good food, and good friends (go Saints!)
- Dreaming about Spain
What is happiness to you right now?
