Blog Break

I can't seem to keep up just now so I'm taking a break. Back to the blog on Friday!

Time Chiming

We have a lovely new clock--not new, but new to us. My brother-in-law brought us a clock that belonged to my mother-in-law. I love hearing it. It reminds me of her and makes me feel all warm.

Still revising the book for August. I'm wishing I could find a way to work in this clock. Maybe next book!

I've managed to work family names and places into books in the past, as well as my cat and my daughter's favorite doll, and my best-friend-from-high-school's renegade kitty. How many of you put real life into your books? I would never do anything hurtful, but I like to think that certain names or places or dear pets will live on as long as the pages do.

Clearly in a musing mood tonight!

Thursday Already?

I'm doing revisions on my August release, THE MAN FROM HER PAST. I'm always so thankful for the process that allows for time between readings on a ms. The things I'm catching that I didn't see before! :-)

I suddenly realize I'm out of touch with television. I watch a lot of classic movies--I'm nuts for noir! And I keep up with Medium and Crossing Jordan when I remember they're on, and the beloved and I watch poker together. (Not sure how that happened!) But all of a sudden, I don't recognize many of the television programs that are advertised. I miss the Barones, and even they've been gone a long while. Sad.

Shouldn't writers be more in touch with commercial entertainment?

Monday Again

Back to work. I've been reading a lot--with mixed results. One book was extremely disappointing--I'm always a little depressed when that happens because my time for reading is so limited these days. I need a good book fast!

I'm adding a link to the HEA Cafe sponsored by RWA's online chapter. I've belonged to this group for about two years and the friendship and support is great there. Hope you'll drop by and read--and comment.

Off to do some proposal work. I suddenly have another idea though I'd planned to propose only two stories. What to do? What to do? Am fending off ideas like lovely little lightning bugs! (All right--not so much fending off as adding to a Notes document.)

Talking Writing with Other Writers

Today was my local RWA chapter meeting. Patricia Sprinkle spoke to us on "The Mystery of Why We Write." I was definitely in the mood for a boost, and she gave us an amazing talk. Funny thing was--some friends and I were discussing our process early in the meeting. Another writer and I bemoaned the fact that it takes us several attempts to get the first 100 pages right. (And that is always where I have the greatest edits in revisions.)

During the program, Patricia Sprinkle gave us a few quotes that are important to her. This one really clicked for me, because I find getting those first 100 pages down increasingly frustrating. This is what she said. "We write it wrong until we get something we recognize." And that's exactly what it is for me. I feel less angsty about it because clearly I'm not alone in my suffering! :-)

Hope the weekend's lovely!

Learning Too Much from Reality

I love to watch how-to home improvement shows. With a writer's curiosity, I'm shameless about snooping into the stories behind why families are selling or renovating or just tidying up three rooms.

But tonight I'm watching one where the couple who own the house are getting divorced after thirty years of marriage and their grown children are estranged, some from the mother, some from the father. The house is incredibly cluttered and the improvements the family has made have not been done with an eye toward resale. Their anger made me sad. So did the garbage and the clutter they didn't clean.

My daughter always makes fun of me because I have to turn the station when scary movies get too tense. Half the time I don't see the scariest parts of a movie--which is what's happened with tonight's reality show. Too much real life got too scary for me. This is characterization I don't need to see. Very sad.

Writing Tricks

Today, I'm tricking myself. I'm having some problems getting inside my characters so I'm doing what Karen, my BCP (Beloved Critique Partner) always suggests--writing in first person.

I kind of like it. So far, so fun! But when will I reach the point where I can get "a-hold" of these folks without a trick? Isn't it funny that people and events that live only in my own head can be elusive? Not funny ha-ha, for sure. Just funny-extremely odd.

I need to make some progress so I can get caught up reading. I'm looking most slackerish in the 10,000 book challenge. Three books started--none finished.