So Close

Ever feel so close you could taste something?

I'm stressed out. I've got too much day job work, too many family events, and D is thinking about going to school in a different province next year. Too much stuff is going on. I want all of it to stop... because I'm so close to being finished my outline, I'm itching to just start writing.

I know better. If I don't have a complete outline of how things are supposed to go at the end, I'll mess up the beginning and have to rewrite it anyway. Sounds odd? That's just how it works. I have to know the end before I can write the beginning. So, I wait for tomorrow.

Wednesday, Library day. The day were I get to take a few hours out of my life and just focus on writing. It's a permanent fixture in my week, and I honestly can't remember how I got by without it. Tomorrow, I should be finished my outline, and then I can start my novel.

I want to have a couple of chapters done really quickly. Not only do I have to get back in touch with my tutor (from my novel writing course), but there is another conference coming up in the middle of October and I want to have a few chapters done by then. Not that I'll actually show them to anyone, I just want to be able to say that I am on Chapter X, and I started writing in mid-September. I've got a month. Think I can do it? Hmmm.... Maybe, just two chapters...

Still, plotting can be really fun. Who knew the Galder Elves seeking revenge on their Pure Elf cousins, would play such an integral role in my novel? (Galder Elves are creatures of my invention, and no I won't go into an explanation right now).

I hope you have a fantastic writing week, and I'll keep you posted on the progress of my novel (Love Light Rising) as it unfolds.

C

(PS: I only have three more boxes to unpack before I can say that I've officially moved in. We've only been here for a month and half, so that's not bad at all.)

Changes

Well things certainly have a way of changing rather quickly.

It's still too soon to go into all the details from the conference, there was just too much going on. However, there was something that happened that was quite profound.

My novel "Athea", the one I have been working on forever, has officially been set aside. I have grown too much in the last while for the writing in it to have kept up, and plot is now too slow and boring for me. I know I can do better. So it is with great respect for everything this novel has helped me learn, that I set it aside. I will come back to it later, but I think I will have to re-work the entire plot.

So, this means I have decided to take on my second novel idea, as my first. "Love Light Rising" needs to be plotted out a bit more, but I think I can start on it soon. Maybe even tonight. Things are exciting. I can write faster now then a could before, and I have a set schedule I can implement to get it done. This novel will not take me very long to finish, and that's a good feeling.

I'll keep you all posted on the developments. (hmm I wonder how my tutor will take this shift in my choice of novel?)

C

An Update...

Well I certainly let this slip a bit didn't I? Thanks Capt'n for the nudge.

A month has gone by. WOW. Well, what have I done...

I moved, that one should be obvious. We haven't finished unpacking yet but it's starting to feel like home.

I finished 2 short stories. The 1st one, a fantasy, was sent out to a magazine. I should hear back from them in a week or two (they are in New Jersey). The second one is out to my readers, and once I have it back I'll send this one out too. Time to get my name out there.

I've been working on my novel edits as well, but not enough to send chapter 2 to my tutor. Sigh, I'll get on that.

I've also been working on my novella. I'm going to rework the angle a bit and send it to the Writers of the Future contest. Should be interesting. The first place winners (and some times 2nd and 3rd place depending on size) get published in an anthology and all finalists win money. Can't go wrong.

Last, I became a board member for the newly formed Edmonton Writers Centre. I won't write too much about this on here since this is supposed to be about my writing, but I'll direct you the Centre's website once it's up and running.

I think that's all I've done over the last month, writing related. I did go to two weddings, and enjoyed a pig roast weekend with the small community at my step-dad's cabin on the lake, but that's about it.

This month I'm going to the Calgary science fiction and fantasy convention "Con-Version 23". My first Con. I'm very excited. It's only a little over a week away. I'm going to be surrounded by science fiction geeks, H. Potter lovers, fantasy obsessors, and costumed fans. It's going to be great.

I'm also taking part in the 3 day novel contest. It's a crazy event that starts at midnight on August 31st (September 1st really) and lasts until midnight on Monday. The whole labor day long weekend is spent writing a novel. Granted it's a short novel (novella), but it's should be a really neat experience. I already have an idea in place.

Things are really heating up. I get my "Author" picture taken soon, and I'll post it on my website as soon as I have it. I just can't believe how productive I was this past while, even with the stresses of moving. Things are looking up.

I hope you are having a fantastic day.

C

Smile

Well, I'm not the happiest person on the planet, but I better off than I was on Friday.

We found a place to live. It's not great, but it's not bad either... and it's a roof over my head.

So now that the chaos has been averted, I thank all of you who helped me out over the last week and an half (was it really that short of a time frame?). All your encouraging words, and emails containing millions of ads, was all very appreciated. Thanks.

Onward and forward. Wednesday is Library day and I'm looking forward to getting some writing done, at last. I did manage to throw some researching into the last week, so that it wasn't a complete loss. I'll do some writing on Wednesday, go to a wedding on Friday, and start packing on the weekend. Busy week ahead of me.

In closing, I'll leave you all with an affirmation. These are helpful phrases to help you through just about anything. Here is the one I used this weekend:

I have the strength and courage to face all of life's challenges!

Have a great day!

C

Grammar and S.L.

I haven't been very good at keeping you up to date, have I?

This past week has just flown by. The sad part is I've done next to no writing... except for on Library day.

There were no new words written, however I did edit my short story and most of my Chapter One... again. Why?

My tutor got back to me. I sent him my Outline, Chapter One, and Short Story. He went through and edited them for me, telling me all the things that were wrong with it. It hurt at first, I'm not going to lie - he's very blunt - but he did come across a major flaw in my writing skill set.

My grammar, spelling, syntax, etc., sucks!

I knew this. I always just assumed I would hire an editor to edit my manuscript before I sent it out. I know how bad I am at stuff like that. But it's come down to the fact that an editor might be able to get rid of my grammar problems, but will it end up sounding the same? Maybe, but I don't know. My tutor has made me doubtful of using that option.

So, I've decided to give learning this junk a try. I bought a couple books on the subject and plan on working through them this weekend. I'm back to the beginning but it's not that bad. Chapter two is already edited in my mind, so if I can learn even just a little bit of this stuff, that'll be good enough for me. Then I'll send my tutor Chapter two and all will be well (until I get it back).

On a side note, I encourage everyone to stay away from Second Life. If you don't know what I'm talking about - good, stay that way. If you do, here is my reason why.

It's so bloody addictive that you loose what little time you have in Real Life, doing nothing. How many of you can spend an hour just on getting your avatar to look good? You know you've done it. I'm not saying Second Life is all bad, it's an amazing way to network, but almost everything else you can do just surfing the net.

I realize it might just be me who gets addicted to stuff like, I've had to delete the program because that's all I did every night for a week straight, but if you're not careful, your Real Life might just pass you by.

OK, that's all I've got to say on that.

I hope you have a fantastic long weekend. If I don't talk to you before Sunday, Happy Birthday Canada.

C

Chapter 2 - Done

Sunday was Father's day, and I spent the whole day running around and chatting to all sides of my re-married, and blended family. Not to mention including my boyfriend's side of the family this year, which is significantly smaller than mine. Believe it or not it was lots of fun.

Today, however, is the day I want to talk about. Today, I finished rewriting Chapter 2. TA DA!!! It actually isn't that big of a deal. I didn't change that much in this Chapter. Chapter 3 on the other hand, has some nifty changes (yes I said nifty).

So Step Two is moving along swimmingly. I'm two chapters in and can't wait to keep going. Only seven more chapters to go. * Remember, I'm only doing Chapters 1-9, Chapter 10 has to be redone so I'm counting it as part of the third step of my Three Step plan.*

On a side note, we've decided not to keep looking for a house. It's just not the right time for us to buy, especially in this market. We'll just keep renting out our downtown apartment for a while longer (like a year or two). Stupid inflated market.

Sunday - 0 words
(Today) Monday - Finished rewriting Chapter Two

Minus the fact that its hailing outside my window, it looks like it'll be a good day... to write at least. Have a good one.

C

Keeping it up

Things have been really good lately.

On Thursday I wrote a short story. A real one this time. It's 1,887 words. Under 2000. That's pretty good for me. I've sent it out to a few readers to see what they think. I can't wait to hear their responses, so I can edit this thing and send it out. My first submission. It'll be good. I'm expecting to be rejected at least a few times. No author goes without getting a few of those.

Today, Saturday, I've been working on my novella and rewriting my novel. It's going good. You can see my word counts below on how much I did on WC&S. But I also finished rewriting Chapter One in my novel. Onwards to Chapter Two! Things are cooking.

I haven't heard back from my tutor on unit 9 yet, but that's ok. It did take me almost 3 months to finish the silly unit, I can give him a week or two to get back to me.

I think that's it for now. Keep plugging along. I will.

Word Counts

Thursday: 1,887 words on Freedom Fire (short story)
Friday: 0 words
Today: 510 words on WC&S, finished rewriting Chapter One

C

Step One - Complete

My novel outline is finished, which means step one of my three step plan to finish my novel is done.

On to step two, reworking chapters 1-9 in my novel to fit the new outline. I'm feeling good. Things are coming into place. This nagging, urgent NEED to write is actually helping out quite a bit. (Check out my blog post May Long Weekend to see my full three step plan)

I also finished unit 9 in my writing course and I'm sending it on to my tutor as we speak (or type rather).

I know this is a short update, but come on... I'm writing a novel here. Gotta keep the momentum going. I won't have any 'new word' counts for you in my next update, but I will keep you updated on how much I've reworked.

Happy writing,

C

Novella & Novel

I've been working on my novella at the same time as I've been working on my novel outline. So far, so good.

Yesterday was Library day, and a really good writing day. I wrote 1,001 words on "WC&S", and still spent an hour working on my outline (which is getting closer and closer to being done). I've been outlining Chapters 6 - 9 the last few days, but I'm finding that by finishing the beginning, things at the end HAVE to change.

Your thinking, "um, duh!" right? Well, I guess in a way I knew this, just like anyone reading this would in theory... But its different when you're staring at your whole novel, seeing all the plot lines and obstacles and problems, and finally see all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. To finally see what was meant to happen here, not just the general idea of it. It's no longer about what I've changed here or there, it's about what this story has become... and it's AWESOME!!!!! It really is so much better then what it started out as.

Anyway, I just thought I would leave an update. Hope you're having a good one.

C

Job, Homes and Writing?

I haven't written a new post in a while. Shame on me.

I've been trying to do too many things at once, and it's been bogging me down: Write my outline, buy a house, save the world at work, you know that standard BS.

Work I need to relax about. There is no way I can save the world by stressing myself out to the max. In fact, I'll probably just end up with a sick day. Then how much help would I be? Just keep counting... two more years and then no more day job... that's the goal anyway.

Buying a house is just stressful in a normal market, let alone a market that increases 3% between the time I started looking (beginning of may) until last week. That's about $12,000 in a month. I don't know how much longer we'll keep looking before we give up, and/or get priced out of the market entirely. I'm hoping our rent doesn't go up too high next month, or we may be in very big trouble.

Now for the good stuff... I'm almost done unit 9 in my course, after a month of staring at the blank page going, "huh?". It'll be great to get it done finally and out of my hands so I can work on the next unit... which surprisingly is about my novel outline.

My outline is going good. I only have four more chapters left to outline and then I can get into reworking the chapters I've got. It's really nice to be able to work on crafting larger sections of an idea again, to play with the subplots in there entirety rather than one small section of the larger piece. It definitely makes me like my story again, which is one of (if not THE) most important thing about writing. You have to want to write down the story in your head, otherwise why bother?

I've been helping out two of the ladies in my support group. They both finished a novel and sent it to the group to be critiqued (that's different from edited). Their stories were really good, and it was nice to know I helped mold a bit of their stories based on my comments. The two of us left who haven't finished a novel are working harder now that we can see what the end result looks and reads like. The pressure is on. I feel like I need a month of straight writing time, but I'm not going to get it. I'll just have to fit my writing time into this busy life I've built for myself.

Well, I think that's enough rambling on my part. Hope you're having a great day... and if you're a writer, I hope you're having an even better writing day.

C

May Long Weekend

Ah yes the May long weekend. In Edmonton, we never have good weather on this weekend, yet most people still try to do stuff. Friends of mine are going camping, my boyfriend wants to go to Elk Island for a day hike, and the outdoor swimming pools are ready to open, pending the weather of course.

So what am I doing? Writing and watching it rain in +3C weather outside. (Suckers)

I've got no word count for you, because I've written no new words on my novel, but I've been working on it. This is the plan for my novel:

Step One: The Outline

I had a bunch of scrap paper with my new plot written down on it, but I hadn't incorporated it into the outline I have. I won't know what to keep of the words I've already written, if I don't go through my outline and mash my new idea into the old one and see what comes out. Thus far, I've already written out the outlines of the 1st three chapters and last nine chapters of the book, now I just need to work on chapters 4 -10.

Step Two: Re-Working What I've Got

This will be the part where I go through chapters one through ten and rework what I've already written, so that it fits with my new plot and outline. This will take a bit of time I'm sure, but it'll be worth it.

Step Three: New Words

Once I'm done reworking, I can start writing again. It'll be full steam ahead until I'm done the novel. That's when you'll see word counts on here again.

I think that's a pretty good plan. At least it keeps me focused on where I'm going. You'll also notice that I don't have a time line attached to each one. That's because of the Goal fiasco I had back in September. Remember? "I will be finished my novel by....", yeah you remember. You'll also remember that I came no where near close to finishing my novel. Oh well.

I finally got MS Word on my computer, so I don't have to wait until lunch breaks at work, or the library once a week to write. It's a good thing. Maybe my productivity will increase now that I can really write from home again.

I think that's all I've got right now. Hope your having a great writing day.

C

I'm Back!

I'm back, safe and sound, and I'm slowly getting back into the groove of things.

It was a wonderful week away from it all. It almost seems like a dream thinking back on it. Was I really there? (yes, and I have the pictures and tan lines to prove it)

I kept a travel log that will need some polishing (what with writing some of it very sleep deprived in an airport at who knows what hour of the day) but I plan on putting in online somewhere with a bunch of my pictures. Maybe in the fun section on my website, I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know soon.

And thanks "Woman of Words" for the comment on my blog. I knew I had to update it, I just hadn't gotten around to it yet. It's funny because I changed my answering machine on my cell phone to let people know that I was away for the week. Well, a bunch of family members called me yesterday and left messages telling me to update my voicemail, because they also knew I was home.

Sigh, I guess it takes a few days to get everything back in order. I haven't even uploaded the pictures from my camera to the computer (its a digital). So as of yet, I have nothing to show for all this disorientation.

I was very jet lagged on Sunday, when I got home. So tired, in fact, that I cried that morning when we had to do laundry (yes, I'm a bit of a cry baby). All I wanted to do was go to bed. To be fair, I HAD been up for well over 24 hours. I took a nap that afternoon for a couple of hours and it seemed to help, but by 7:30pm I was done for the day and off to bed.

It was back to work on Monday. Back to the same old, same old. It's good though. I feel like I've had a good rest and can go for a while. I can tell you right now, I spent most of the trip on the beach, with the ocean lapping not 5 feet from my toes. Sleeping, reading, relaxing. It was awesome.

This whole trip helped a lot in terms of my novel too. While I was down there, I couldn't actually write. My brain wasn't there, but it almost was. It was like I was comparing everything around me to the world I created around Mikayla. How would Mikayla handle this heat? Would Mikayla's people have hats made of palm tree leaves? Would they take naps during the mid-day heat? Would her food taste like this or that? It was just really good to know what it feels like to be in that kind of heat, to swim in the ocean with heavy undertow and feel fish rubbing into your legs. Mostly just what it feels like to live on an island. I couldn't have asked for more, and I had a whole week of it. I'm going to take a few days to get back into real life mode and then it's dive, dive, dive into my writing. I'm looking forward to it. Like a friend you haven't seen in a while and can't wait to go for coffee to catch up.

The very scary thing is I need to really look at my plot. The story is supposed to be about Mikayla. Her journey. Her challenges. It's all about her. I think I've finally separated me from her enough (well as much as one can) so that I can look at her and say "OK, what is YOUR story?" I think she's missing something. She's not doing something she should on this journey of hers. Now I just need to know if it's major or minor. I think it'll be minor, but I want to be sure.

I'm starting this weekend. It's time to take that novel off the shelf and take a good hard look at it. My short story is easy (easier) and so I'll leave it for when I hit a wall, or need a break. Right now, I need to finish my novel. It's funny how something can turn from a want into a need.

I'm glad to be back, as much as it was fun to be away. It's good to be home.

C

She Keeps Going...

Here's the break down for the last two days:

April 5th - 106 words on "WC&S" (not much I know but at least it was something)

April 6th - Read through a friends manuscript and critiqued it. No new words on my own stuff.

I don't remember if I mentioned before, but I'm going away to Cuba in three weeks. I think it's about time I had a vacation. Also, It'll give me some real experiences to add to my novel. It is set on an Island. The only islands I've been on were Vancouver and Salt Spring. I think getting a more tropical view will help me out quite a bit in my re-write.

I've broken down my re-write into two parts. Part one- Easy Stuff: The first 5 chapters are basically fine, they only need minor changes. Part Two - Harder Stuff: After chapter 5, I need to add a chapter and re-write chapters 6 through 9 (or 7-10 if you add the new chaper). My current chapter 10 is ok as is but it needs some edits (and to be finished) so it doesn't fall under either parts. It's part of Phase 2: Writing the rest of the novel.

I'm giving myself a break from my novel until I get back from my vacation. Besides, White Cats and Suicide is really coming along. Well, best get back to it.

C

To re-write or not to re-write

That is the question...

I thought I was doing alright without re-writing. I just picked up where I left off in Chapter 10 and kept going. Things worked for about five pages, but part of my mind was agonizing about chapter 3 where I know I have to change an entire portion. And the fact that I know I have to add another chapter in between 5 and 6. (Its the one where my bad guy shows his hand)

So I've been having a little bit of trouble figuring out where to go. Hence the question.. to re-write or not to re-write. I think I'll keep going the way I have for a little while longer, until I can't stand it anymore and go back and change everything. I've been working quite a bit on my short story in the mean time just to keep my fingers typing, so to speak. My short story is actually quite a bit darker than what I'm used to writing, but that's ok. I know it will work out but it's always nice to know that I have a few test readers to pawn it off on first, before I start sending it out into the universe.

Speaking of my support group, we met a few weeks back. Turns out that we all brought something we thought the others would gain from, or find interesting. One of the lady's brought a book she picked up from the library called "Post Secret" by Frank Warren. If you need something to give you a bit of inspiration, I suggest you got out and rent or buy it. It's fabulous. People have written their confessions and secrets (all anonymous) about things they would never tell anyone close to them. You can get your next character's deep, dark secret just by flipping through the pages.

Well, I had best get back to my character's deep dark secrets... or at least the ones in my short story until I feel confident about my novel again. Hope you have a good one.

C

I HAVE A PLOT!!!

As confirmed by my tutor today, I have a plot for my novel (or the beginings of one at least).

I don't know if he realizes how I was waiting on his response. Oh, I did a little jump for joy when I got my email with this written on the bottom:

I agree, you might need a more villainous villain,

but now I see a plot emerging. Well done!

Well, now that I have confirmation that I now have a plot, I can get into it. I'm not sure yet whether a re-write is in order, or if I should just keep going on and work on the begining once I'm done. Have to think about that one.

I plan on working on it tonight so hopefully I will let you know soon which road I'm going down.

C