I've been having a hard time not making this story too big. At the rate I'm going it'll have to be 1,700 pages long. Now some of you might accept such a challenge; but I'm pretty confident it would be a hard sell to any agent/publisher. Not that I'm anywhere near 1,700 pages, mind you; more like 35- but in my head it remains massive. Ideally, I would have the opportunity to turn it in to a serial; realistically- I need to finish writing one book before I start outlining the next eight.
I suppose it's a good sign I'm motivated to expand this story beyond what I had originally intended. The fact that I'm getting past the fear of completing it at all is a very good sign. I get excited about what is to come, and what could come; and it is hard not to jump ahead to the good parts. This is true in reading, writing, and in life. What is harder, and more satisfying, is making the parts in-between equally good.
As I continue to work on the in-between parts; I want you to know that I am trying to come up with an apt description of my story. I need something to tell people when they ask about it. All I can say right now is that it concerns two people sent on individual jouneys; who discover their paths are one and the same. But with dragons. Well, maybe.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
The time has come...
Good Evening! I hope every one's weekend is going well. I am feeling well rested, have been fairly productive, and still have a whole day off to look forward to. Yay, for three day weekends! Although I have the urge to power nap, I have deemed today, "Pull Everything Together Day", and in a few minutes, I will do just that.
It took some time, but I finally hunted down all my notebooks, scraps of paper, and scribblings. I have been hand writing my story on the advice of a dear friend, and debut Author, Miriam, (check out msforster.blogspot.com for thoughts on Writing, and the occasional cute animal pic). I found her advice to be sound- you are far less likely to edit in real time when writing by hand. There is no backspace option when something doesn't suit you, and erasing or scribbling over your words does nothing to hide the evidence of their untimely death. Yesterday, I wrote out a very important scene, of which I am particularly proud, and there is no way I would have gotten as far as I did if I had been at my laptop.
However, the time has come to add everything to my saved draft. I ask for crossed fingers as I control the urge to edit prematurely, and that everything will back-up safely
In the meantime, in homage to Miriam; please enjoy these baby ducks.
It took some time, but I finally hunted down all my notebooks, scraps of paper, and scribblings. I have been hand writing my story on the advice of a dear friend, and debut Author, Miriam, (check out msforster.blogspot.com for thoughts on Writing, and the occasional cute animal pic). I found her advice to be sound- you are far less likely to edit in real time when writing by hand. There is no backspace option when something doesn't suit you, and erasing or scribbling over your words does nothing to hide the evidence of their untimely death. Yesterday, I wrote out a very important scene, of which I am particularly proud, and there is no way I would have gotten as far as I did if I had been at my laptop.
However, the time has come to add everything to my saved draft. I ask for crossed fingers as I control the urge to edit prematurely, and that everything will back-up safely
In the meantime, in homage to Miriam; please enjoy these baby ducks.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Process
My writing process has evolved significantly within the last six months. If you count holding a flickering plot line in your head for 12 years a process. Now, rather than stuffing ideas deep in my mind for safe keeping, they are scattered across my life; under bedside tables, on desks, in my car, crumpled in purses, and inevitably, misplaced. It's as though notebooks and scraps of paper roam free across the landscape of my life, sometimes disappearing for days at a time. One such wanderer carried off a fairly important scene that I will be hard pressed to recreate.
Losing your work is a heartbreaking event. Not long ago, after getting down the bulk of my story, Technology had a good laugh at my expense, and failed to save a single word. I was in shock, and found myself unable to rewrite what came so naturally before. With regret, I filed my project away, once again in the back of my mind, until I felt it was time to try again. Needless to say, there is a lot of backing-up going on these days.
So, there is improvement in my process; I am maturing, but organization is key. I'll have to let you know how that goes.
Losing your work is a heartbreaking event. Not long ago, after getting down the bulk of my story, Technology had a good laugh at my expense, and failed to save a single word. I was in shock, and found myself unable to rewrite what came so naturally before. With regret, I filed my project away, once again in the back of my mind, until I felt it was time to try again. Needless to say, there is a lot of backing-up going on these days.
So, there is improvement in my process; I am maturing, but organization is key. I'll have to let you know how that goes.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
I took a walk...
I took a walk today up to Albertsons. The air was clear, cold, and the sun was finally out. It is beautiful up in Columbia Village. We have a great view of the low mountains to the north of the valley, and the sky stretches forever to the east, west, and south. I take walks primarily for exercise, but it also clears my head, and helps with my anxiety. It has also become a great stirrer of my imagination. For about a year now I have traveled the same route up to the main grocery store, coffee shop, and small local businesses. It is about 2 miles one way. It takes me about 1/2 an hour, and I have time to let my mind wander while my spirit is fed by the visual beauty of my surroundings.
I stop at the Cafe Capri to have coffee- usually iced, even when brutally chilly outside, and sometimes I linger there, but more often I head out as soon as I've finished the last drop. It is on the way home, when I come down the opposite way from the shops, and cut through the Simplot Sports Complex; a large and open park that hosts soccer, and baseball in warmer weather, that my mind sinks in to whatever subject lays waiting. One Sunday, a week or two ago, it was masticating on fan fiction, and I was flying through time and space with The Doctor, when it occurred to me what a vain waste it really was. Why was I exerting all this mental and emotional effort on someone else's story? Why would I put time and effort into their creations but never my own? It was right then that my mind switched the track and I began to think about the story I had put off writing for years.
I wasn't starting from scratch; I had put down 25 pages last November during National Novel Writing Month- a far cry from the 50,000 word goal, but I wasn't complaining. At that time I had the beginning, but as I walked the paved path through the park I found I had my ending. I now have the arduous task of finding the middle, and who knows how my beginning and ending will suffer for that lack of planning. Today in my mind I watched as my main characters met for the first time, and I began to think on their story; where they will go and how they will change. It will take time to fill all the gaps in-between. A lot of walks will be taken.
It is my desire to finish this story, find a critique group to help me in revising, and eventually, attempt to have it published as my first novel. I will continue to enter into the stories of others, and dream I have a part to play in them, but now I will enter into stories of my own creation, to play the biggest role of all.
I stop at the Cafe Capri to have coffee- usually iced, even when brutally chilly outside, and sometimes I linger there, but more often I head out as soon as I've finished the last drop. It is on the way home, when I come down the opposite way from the shops, and cut through the Simplot Sports Complex; a large and open park that hosts soccer, and baseball in warmer weather, that my mind sinks in to whatever subject lays waiting. One Sunday, a week or two ago, it was masticating on fan fiction, and I was flying through time and space with The Doctor, when it occurred to me what a vain waste it really was. Why was I exerting all this mental and emotional effort on someone else's story? Why would I put time and effort into their creations but never my own? It was right then that my mind switched the track and I began to think about the story I had put off writing for years.
I wasn't starting from scratch; I had put down 25 pages last November during National Novel Writing Month- a far cry from the 50,000 word goal, but I wasn't complaining. At that time I had the beginning, but as I walked the paved path through the park I found I had my ending. I now have the arduous task of finding the middle, and who knows how my beginning and ending will suffer for that lack of planning. Today in my mind I watched as my main characters met for the first time, and I began to think on their story; where they will go and how they will change. It will take time to fill all the gaps in-between. A lot of walks will be taken.
It is my desire to finish this story, find a critique group to help me in revising, and eventually, attempt to have it published as my first novel. I will continue to enter into the stories of others, and dream I have a part to play in them, but now I will enter into stories of my own creation, to play the biggest role of all.
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