Things 1, 2 and 3

I've got to get ready for a long day of work (oh, joy!) but I've got a few things to mention really quick.

Thing 1:

Rachel @ Rachel Morgan Writes gave me this award:



I'm going to pass it on to all of my wonderfully amazing followers. Thanks, Rachel!

Thing 2:

Rachna @ Rachna's Scriptorium gave me this award:



With this one, I have to share a few things about myself, so let's see...

1. October is my favorite month. I love the cooler weather, the changing leaves and the excitement leading up to NaNoWriMo.
2. I love pizza. Mushrooms, pepperoni and pineapple, please.
3. I love to write by hand. My handwriting is loopy and crooked and super-messy. Sometimes I can't even read what I've written. But I never feel closer to the creative process than when I've got a pen in my hand.
4. My favorite book as a kid was Charlotte's Web. Ironically, spiders scare the bejeezus out of me now.
5. I do some of my best plot planning while cleaning the house.

Again, anyone feel free to snag this one. I look forward to reading your tidbits of info! Thank you, Rachna!


Thing 3:

Sticky Note Stories has started a NaNoWriMo Blogchain. If you're participating in this year's NaNo, mosey on over and sign up!




I believe that about wraps it up. Off to work I go. Have a good Wednesday!

Monday Mixtape #3 & Other Things

So it has become glaringly obvious that I'm in desperate need of a plan. A strict, iron-clad, if-you-don't-follow-it-you-will-be-violently-mauled-by-werewolves plan. We are nearing the middle of October and I am nowhere closer to my writerly goals than I was when this month started. I've allowed myself to be sucked into other things: TV, music, books, the internet. You name it, I'm doing/reading/watching/listening to it.

Prime example: I had two consecutive days off. Not just any days off, I had Saturday AND Sunday off. Which never, ever happens and probably won't ever happen again. And, aside from chores here and there, do you know what I did with my time? I read. And read, and read. I finally jumped on The Hunger Games train and I seriously couldn't put the book down. I went from being on page 8 Saturday morning to finishing the book early this morning. I couldn't tear myself away. Which is unusual for me, considering this is not my usual reading material. But I can officially say, I know what all the fuss is about and I approve. My last encounter with Young Adult fiction was the Twilight series. And...yeah, I didn't enjoy the experience. The Hunger Games, though...I'm anxiously waiting to get my hands on the second installment.

But I didn't write. Or even think about writing. Not once all weekend. I am ashamed of myself. Okay, maybe not ashamed. But disappointed. Nah, not that, either. I had a good weekend. A much needed respite from the stress I put on myself to get to work. And I read a great book. It was a win-win weekend. But the work week has returned and with it a renewed pressure to get back to my writing.

It's Monday, by the way. And I'm kind of fond of sharing music with all of you, so here are a couple songs for your listening pleasure:

Delta Goodrem is an artist I've mentioned before. She's wildly successful in Australia but not so much here in the States. Even so, I love her. She's got a beautiful voice and loads of songwriting talent. Not to mention those piano skills. This song is one of my all-time favorites:


I love Jewel. She has a way with words that can make me smile or sigh or bring tears to my eyes. This song is a definite favorite of mine:


Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge LeAnn Rimes fan. I don't really know what it is, but I have loved her since I was thirteen. This song is pure gorgeousness. I do believe it's one of the best songs ever written, with its simple message and honest lyrics. I hope you guys are as inspired by it as I and countless others have been:


Anyway, I've got to get to work. Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Monday Mixtape #2

Since last Monday's Mixtape post was met with a warm response, I decided to make it a weekly thing. After all, there's nothing I love more than sharing music that makes he happy down to my toes. This week, I'm going with a few lesser known artists that I have come to adore.

First up is Michigan Native Rachel Williams. She's an amazing country singer who hasn't quite hit the mainstream yet. This song is so gorgeous and has become my theme song:


Next is Mr. Mandy Moore, Ryan Adams. I fell in love with this song a couple years ago and it still makes me melt when he sings, "I can't win, but for you, I will try."


This last artist isn't really "unknown." In fact, she used to be huge. She just stepped back into the spotlight with a new cd filled with gorgeous songs. This is one of my favorites:


It's entirely possible that I need to get some writing done before work. So I'm gonna go do that. Hope everyone has a great Monday!

I Think My Brain's Busted

It's October 2nd. I should be a frantic, frenzied mess. I should be maniacally revising my WiP and working on an outline for NaNoWriMo. I should be freaking out.

But I'm not.

No, instead I'm spending ridiculous amounts of time dallying around on the internet and playing Sims. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

I think I'm having a mental breakdown. No, really. I'm serious. What other reason would I be so...unfocused?

I really need to get it together. I've got less than a month before the absolutely insane four weeks in November. The only saving grace I have is that I know the story I'm gonna be working on. I know it and its characters well. I just have to rework it and make it stronger and more...logical. Just an outline. That's all I need. Usually, when I'm starting a new project, I need an outline, character interviews, page after page of notes and research. But not this time. Just an outline. Maybe that's why I'm being so nonchalant. I think I've got it under control because I've been working on this story for so long. I'm not taking into account that whatever I've got written for it (an entire word-vomit of a first draft, written from too many POVs and filled with purple prose) is useless. Everything has to go. I have to start anew. I need to hammer that concept into my thick head. Maybe then I'll be good and motivated.

Or at least I hope so.

I leave for work in about twenty minutes. It's going to be a long, hectic day. I wasted three hours this morning doing nothing of importance when I could have gotten a lot accomplished. All day, I'm gonna kick myself for that. And all day, I'm going to remind myself that I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Maybe by the time I get out, I'll be motivated with just the right dash of freaking out.

So, how about you? Am I the only one who's so daggone unmotivated? How do you get past this?

The Fall Scramble

I'm sitting in my living room, country music videos on the TV, Dana snoring next to me. My eyes fall on the calender and it hits me. Tomorrow is October 1st.

Tomorrow.

October.

Really?

Where the heck did September go? Or August for that matter? Is it just me, or has this year just flown by? November is just around the corner. And you know what November means, don't you?

No?

Well, let me fill you in. November means NaNoWriMo! National Novel Writing Month. Last year was my first go and it's what got me back into writing after a year-long drought. I'd be a fool not to partake in the craziness this year!

But here's the thing. I'm not even finished with the novel I wrote last November!

I do think that a month-long vacation from this project could be helpful, though. It makes sense. In my head, anyway. Spend October revising my current WiP -- at least through Chapter 5 -- and come up with a working outline for my NaNo project. Then write like crazy in November. When I get back to Mari in December, I'll have fresh eyes and I'll be so relieved to see something that makes a tiny bit of sense, as opposed to the word vomit that will be my NaNo project. Meanwhile, NaNo will sit and stew. When I finally finish Mari's story, I'll have forgotten everything about NaNo and I'll be an editing machine.

Makes sense, right?

Right?

Eh, we writers are all crazy, anyway. Or at least that's what I hear. And after rereading what I just wrote, I'm inclined to agree.

Anyway. My NaNo project. I'm kinda scrambling for an idea. I know it's kinda "against the rules" but I'm considering taking an old project into November with me. I've been working on it for at least 5 years now and I'm dying -- DYING -- to get it finished. It's a disaster, so I'll be writing it from scratch, anyway. Plus, I know these characters really well. And I miss them. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

So. Anyone else taking part in November Madness? If so, do you already have your novel in mind? And what do you think of my idea of working with an old project?

Well, October is a mere fifteen minutes away. I better get to work!

Monday Mixtape

Music is my drug of choice. I'm sure I've said that before. A good song fills me up just as well, if not better, than a gourmet, five-course meal. There's always a song in my head and I feel lost when I can't listen to music. Above anything, I adore a strong, beautiful, unique lyric. I've been listening to music all morning and thought I'd share a few songs with you guys. These are my favorites at the moment. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! And maybe they'll make your Monday a little less dreadful!

This one has been one of my favorite songs for years. I love the lyrics. Kristyn Osborn is a wizard with words. My vocabulary has been expanded from the years of listening to her songs.


Again, I'm addicted to Sara Bareilles's new cd. This song makes my heart ache.


Ahh, Jason Mraz. My heart belongs to this man. Not only is he a master of words, his voice is so amazing. And this song just tugs at my heartstrings and makes me smile.


I've got just under thirty minutes before work. Maybe I'll listen to these songs one more time and squeeze a little writing in. Happy Monday, everyone!

Top Ten Novels

I think I've posted more this week than I have in the entire month of August combined! I can't help it, though -- I keep stumbling across these cool blogfests that I can't resist (by the way, thanks so much to everyone that stopped by from The Great Blogging Experiment. I'm glad I could offer some useful nuggets of advice to the feast of information in the blogosphere yesterday!)


This time, it's hosted by Madeleine over @ Scribble and Edit She's doing a Top Ten Novels Blogfest and I decided to add my two cents. By the way, it's not too late to participate in this one -- it's all weekend!

I don't even know how to narrow my favorite books down to ten, but I'll give it a shot.

10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

(No explanation needed, right?)

9. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

(Great secondary characters and a touching story)


8. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

(Okay, so I actually like the movie version more. Novalee is such a quirky and adorable character and, again, the secondary characters are so well-rounded)


7. The Dogs of Babel by by Carolyn Parkhurst

(Intriguing and sad. I love the way Parkhurst writes)


6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

(Because I want to be Jo when I grow up)

5. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

(Haunting and beautifully written)


4. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

(Anything by Jennifer Weiner, really. I adore her)


3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

(I swallowed this book whole in about 3 days. Yeah, it's that good)


2. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

(This is a beautiful, touching and heartbreaking story about two best friends...I've read it three times and I'm sure I'll read it a dozen more)

1. White Oleander by Janet Fitch

(This is how I aspire to write...the prose is so lush and lyrical that I want to suck it into my veins)

Whew! That was really hard! So what do you guys think? Any of your favorites make my list?

The Great Blogging Experiment -- Writing Compelling Characters

Okay, so today's the day. The day of The Great Blogging Experiment. And I'm beginning to wonder what I got myself into. Because...ya wanna know a little secret?

Just between me and you, okay?

Okay, here goes.

I...uh...

Well, here's the thing...

Okay, so what I'm trying to say is...

I don't know a THING about writing compelling characters.

There, I said it. I'm a fraud. I am in no way, shape or form an expert on writing compelling characters. I do my best and hope like hell my characters are intriguing enough to keep someone reading.

That's not to say I don't try. I plot and plan and interview my characters as if they're real people. And if they don't give me something, anything to establish them as anti-cookie cutter, they're replaced with someone much more interesting, real and flawed.

Flawed.

That's the thing here, isn't it?

No one wants to read about perfection. If we wanted perfection, we'd read fashion magazines instead of novels. Because perfection doesn't exist. At least not in the human race. No one is perfect.

It's a tricky thing, creating people out of thin air. Especially if you want someone to stick with said people for 300+ pages and actually CARE about what happens to them. So how do we do it? I mean, we can't just throw a nifty name, a few physical descriptions and a handful of quirks together and call it good. And modeling our creation after someone from our real life is probably not the best tactic. But if you take a little of this, a little of that and a dash of personality...well, maybe you'll have something.

I approach my new characters like a job interview. They start with a name. I have a thing for names. Once I hear a name I like, my mind starts forming what this person looks like. Then, like metal shavings to a magnet, personality traits begin to gather. I never know right away whether this character is strong enough to carry a whole story or if they're just in it for the ride until I sit down and get to know them. And even then, it's hard to tell.

I love me some strong secondary characters. They're just as important as our main characters...at least from a writer's perspective.

I spent months and months working on the same bit of writing from a WiP and couldn't get any further. Why? I couldn't stand my main character's best friend. She was whiny and clingy and needy and just plain annoying. So I went back to the drawing board. I sat Macy down and got to know her. And I realized I didn't know her half as well as I thought. She made it very clear that she wasn't as whiny or needy as I made her out to be and she demanded I get it right. Once we cleared that up, I sailed through the chapter.

I guess my point is: If YOU don't like your character, no one else will. Even if you're writing a sick, demented, evil serial killer , there's got to be a part of him you like. You don't have to share it with your readers, but if you know everything about him, why he is the way he is, you'll write him with more care, more sympathy. It's all about layers, I think. If you create a character you know inside and out, from the scar on her left knee from when she fell off her bike when she was six to the reason why she won't let herself get close to the handsome guy in her life, then even if your readers don't ever see that scar, your character will be real to them.

There are extensive Q&As available online for things like this. I tend to make up my own questionnaires, but I've used the 20 page ones on occasion. There are a lot of things I wouldn't think to ask.

Again, I'm not sure just how compelling my characters are, but writing is always a learning experience, right?

Thanks again to Elana, Jen and Alex for hosting The Great Blogging Experiment. I look forward to reading all the other posts!

Whining and Blogging Experiments.

Wait, what's this? Two posts in two days? Now, that's just weird.

Yesterday was a kind of cop-out post. This one's similar. I just signed up for The Great Blogging Experiment, hosted by Elana Johnson, Jen @ unedited and Alex J. Cavanaugh. The whole idea is, everyone that signs up will write a post about the same topic. It takes place this Friday, September 24th. It's a really cool concept and I'm looking forward to reading everyone's take on the chosen topic. So, there ya have it. On Friday, I'll be blogging about Writing Compelling Characters.

If you're interested, mosey on over to Elana's blog to sign up.

So, I've spent the entire morning putting around on the internet, reading various blogs. I totally should have been writing, but these days, I'll do anything to avoid it. It's a sad, scary thing, this new found dislike of my writing. I don't really know what to do about it. Every time I pull out Chapter Three, I instantly get irritated and I just don't want to do it. It's stupid, really. All I need to write for Chapter Three is an end scene -- and a good chunk of it is already written! So what the heck is my problem? I'm being ridiculous. I know it. You know it. We all know it. Hopefully, I'll get this issue resolved soon. I just want to get over the mountainous hump that is Chapter Three and I think I'll be fine. Do any of you have suggestions on how to manage this? I'm desperate, so if your suggestion involves standing on my head while chewing cotton candy flavored gum and humming Poker Face, I'll do it!

Anyway, I need to get ready for work. It's gonna be a long day. But Glee is on tonight! I am a total Gleek.

Top Ten TV Shows Blogfest

Alex J. Cavanaugh is hosting a Top Ten TV Shows Blogfest today. This is super last minute, but I'll jump at the chance for a blog post that practically writes itself.

Here are my top ten picks:

1. Friends -- I always had an odd crush on Chandler Bing
2. Gilmore Girls -- Because Lorelai and Rory are the cutest mother/daughter pair on TV.
3. Glee -- Who can resist, really?
4. Grey's Anatomy -- I'm still bitter about George, though.
5. Scrubs -- I love me some Dr. Cox.
6. Rescue Me -- My brother got me hooked on this show. It's gritty and dirty and intense. Tommy Gavin is like a car wreck you can't look away from.
7. House -- Do I really need to explain?
8. Party of Five -- I kinda wanted to be Claudia.
9. True Blood -- My guilty pleasure.
10. Law & Order: SVU -- Benson and Stabler are my heroes.

And I feel like I should give an honorable mention to Dexter. Even though I'm not an avid fan, Dana is. And I have to say, Michael C. Hall plays an intriguing serial killer.

Also, How I Met Your Mother. Because Neil Patrick Harris is a genius.


Oh, and American Idol. I've watched all 9 seasons, so I kinda have to mention it...

That was a lot harder than I thought it would be!

Rainy Day

It's a rainy, gloomy day here today. The sound of the rain hitting the roof is soothing and has me longing to crawl into bed and stay there. Sadly, I have to work today. There will be no lying in bed, listening to the rain. Not this morning.

I do, on the other hand, have an hour before I leave. Now, a logical, driven person would use this hour to get something accomplished. Maybe pull out Chapter Three and forge through the messy revisions. Because once Chapter Three is done, I can move on and, I suspect, the rest of the book should be a breeze. Well, maybe not a breeze. But far easier than the first few chapters. Odds are, though, that I'll find a million and one things to do before even looking at my book. And by the time I pull out a pen and notebook, or pull up Word, it'll be ten minutes before I'm set to leave for work. That's just how I work. At least these days, anyway.

In addition to the soothing soundtrack of the rain, I've got the new cd by Sara Bareilles playing. At the moment, this is my favorite:



I love Sara's voice. And, boy, does she have a way with words. Nothing feeds my muse better than good music. It's almost like enjoying the most amazing meal you've ever had -- without the calories.

While I'm in a sharing mood, Dana (who I've mentioned here before) has started her own blog. As a disclaimer, I feel I should mention that what she writes is intense and somewhat graphic. It's sort of a stream-of-conscious, letting-it-all-out kind of writing, an intimate look at a very difficult subject. If you're okay with that kind of thing, hop on over and take a peek -- Broken Illusions

Alright. I've squandered a little too much time on the interwebs for the day. Off I go. Let's hope I get something accomplished!

Easily Distracted.

Okay, so it's official. I am a horrible, terrible, god awful blogger. Two weeks since my last entry. That's just unacceptable. And I wish I could say I had an excuse. A real, honest to goodness reason why I have been MIA for fourteen days. But I have nothing.

To be frank, I've been the queen of all slackers. Not only haven't I written a blog entry, I haven't touched my revisions. I have half a page of scribbled notes for chapters three and four, but other than that, I haven't done a single constructive thing lately.

Why, you ask?

Because of this:



Yep. I'm addicted to The Sims. To be fair, it's the only video game I play. Unfortunately, it's one of those games that sucks you in and you lift your head three hours later and wonder what the hell just happened. When did the sun go down? How did that movie you were half-watching end? I'm sorry, were you saying something. Yeah, it's like that. I stopped playing this game last year for just this reason, but the moment I reinstalled it on my computer, I knew I was asking for trouble.

Turns out, my willpower is crap. Absolute crap. My thought process looks something like this these days:

I should work on chapter three.

Oh, but my Sim is thisclose to a promotion at work.

But Mari's at the doctor. I should really finish that scene.

But...Sim toddlers are SO cute!

Mari's baby is cute, too.

Yeah, but it's still a fetus!

And so on. I'm slightly worried I'm going insane. Or maybe I'm just desperate for mindless distractions so I don't have to sprout a few more gray hairs from working on my book.

In other news, Fall is here. I love me some fall. It's by far my favorite season. But with the cooler weather and changing leaves comes the realization that November is just around the corner. And November means NaNoWriMo.

Oh, boy.

NaNoWriMo.

And I haven't even developed an idea to run with this year. I was seriously hoping to have Mari's story finished and polished and perdy by the time November rolled around. I don't think that's gonna happen. Nonetheless, I'll finish her story. November will just be a vacation.

Ha. I don't think you can call writing 50,000 words in 30 days a vacation of any kind.

I need a game plan. And for someone to steal my Sims discs.

What's in a Name?

When I'm first starting a new project, the first thing I do is come up with names for my main characters. I love names. I love choosing something unique but not TOO out there. I love fitting the name with the character, or creating a character to match a name. It's an odd little fetish I have. My characters are my children and I agonize over their names for days, weeks, months, before settling on the perfect one.

Mari, for example, was originally Izzy. I started the first draft of this story about five years ago and I just loved the name Izzy. Then I started watching Grey's Anatomy. And I loved the character of Izzie.



In fact, I spent weeks being angry after she left the show. I'm still bitter. Not half as bitter as I am that they killed of George, though. I mean, it was George! GEORGE!



Ahem. I'm getting off topic here. The point is, once I fell in love with the character of Izzie on Grey's Anatomy, the name was kind of ruined for me. So when I picked this project up last November for NaNoWriMo, I immediately knew I needed to change my main character's name. And, man did it take me a long time. I tried on about ten different names before settling on Maribel. And Mari seems like the perfect fit now. I don't think I could change her name now if I wanted to.

But here's the thing: there's a new girl at work. Her name is nowhere close to Maribel, but her nickname? Yeah, she likes to be called Mari.

I'm having an issue with this. I have never written a character that shared a name with someone I knew in real life. I don't want to add traits of the real life person to my fictional character, or be accused of defaming the real life person with my character. I don't want my fictional baby to be tainted.

But Mari is Mari. It took me forever to settle on her name and now it fits. Like a glove. I don't want to change it. But I don't want the new girl at work to worm her way into my book. Not to mention, it will be weird to hear the name day in day out, outside of my book.

How about you? How do you choose a name for your character? And do you know anyone in real life with the same name? If you did, would it ruin the character's name for you?

Help!

I'm feeling restless, uninspired and frustrated today.

My revisions have come to a standstill somewhere around Chapter Three. I can't quite figure out which scenes belong in the chapter, or if I should write all new material.

Or if I should just scrap the whole darn thing.

Tossing the entire manuscript in a huge fire is becoming a very tempting thought.

Do any of you ever have thoughts like these? How do you get through it without ACTUALLY setting fire to all your hard work?

Guess That Character Blogfest -- The Reveal!

It was so much fun participating in this blogfest. I got a lot of guesses for Mari's appearance -- some close, some way off and only one that was absolutely dead on. It was definitely interesting to see how others imagined Mari with so little to go on.

Before I reveal Mari's picture, I want to post the original snippet, unedited, from yesterday:

“Mama, Daddy, I have something to tell you. You remember Tom, right? What am I saying? Of course you do.” Maribel Madigan straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, staring straight ahead with narrowed, determined eyes. She could do this. “Well, the thing is…we’re not getting married after all. And…I’m pregnant.”

The last words echoed dully in the empty bathroom, sending shivers through Mari’s entire body. Could mirrors lie? she wondered, staring at the stark, scared girl reflected back at her. It wasn’t her. In fact, she didn’t even recognize this girl. The hair hadn’t changed. It was still sleek and black, falling smoothly to her elbows. Her skin was the same pale caramel, too. But the eyes…those eyes belonged to a stranger, cold and black with fear. Not her usual confident, bubbly self. That girl was long gone.

Who was she kidding? She couldn’t do this. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed away from the sink. Thirty years old and she was terrified to tell her family she was going to be a mom. How pathetic!

With a growl, Mari tore open the bathroom door and marched into the bustling diner outside. Like it or not, today was the day.

Black hair, caramel skin, brown eyes. Her mother is from Mexico, which is why she calls her "Mama." Elizabeth Mueller was the closest with her guess: "I imagined her short, olive complected and long, thick black hair with brown eyes. ;)"

This is the lovely Mari:




She has a sweet face, a smart mouth and a good head on her shoulders. She usually doesn't do anything wild or crazy, but after breaking up with her fiance of five years, she decided she wanted a baby. Only now, she's afraid to tell her Mama that she's going to be a single mother. But she's tough and she'll do it...eventually.

Thanks to everyone who guessed. I had a blast reading all your responses and guessing on your characters, too!

Guess That Character Blogfest!

I'm so excited to participate in my first blogfest! This one's hosted by the awesome Jen at Unedited. Basically, this is how it works:

Day One -- I'll post a snippet of my novel, sans physical description. You guys get to guess what my main character looks like, based purely on voice, action and personality.

Day Two -- I'll post a picture of what I believe my character looks like and announce who was closest.

Sounds fun, huh?

So, here goes. This is a clip from the novel I've been working on all year. Meet Mari:


“Mama, Daddy, I have something to tell you. You remember Tom, right? What am I saying? Of course you do.” Maribel Madigan straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, staring straight ahead with narrowed, determined eyes. She could do this. “Well, the thing is…we’re not getting married after all. And…I’m pregnant.”

The last words echoed dully in the empty bathroom, sending shivers through Mari’s entire body. Could mirrors lie? she wondered, staring at the stark, scared girl reflected back at her. It wasn’t her. In fact, she didn’t even recognize this girl. Not her usual confident, bubbly self. That girl was long gone.

Who was she kidding? She couldn’t do this. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed away from the sink. Thirty years old and she was terrified to tell her family she was going to be a mom. How pathetic!

With a growl, Mari tore open the bathroom door and marched into the bustling diner outside. Like it or not, today was the day.

So, what do YOU think Mari looks like?

Beautiful Mess

My head aches, my eyes burn and my brain wants to take a vacation. My writing hand rebels against picking up a pen to scribble notes across my manuscript. I'm sure that's for the best. As it is, I can barely make out the words I wrote two days ago. Chapter Three is full of edits I have yet to input in the computer, mostly because just looking at these pages gives me a migraine:



I've got three different colors of highlighters throughout my manuscript. I've got post-its galore stuck all over. It's reaching the point where I don't even know what I mean with all these notes and arrows and highlighted sections. It's enough to make a girl go gray. Oh, wait. I've already got grays.

But, in spite of all this stress and madness, I have rediscovered a love for dollar stores. I found all this:


at a dollar store. They're extra-big post-its that I can fit lots of words on. So long, cramped, illegible writing! I'm sure I've mentioned my love of office supplies before. Post-its are like my crack. I love them. Almost as much as I love a new pen (got one of those, too by the way). These things help to make my revision process a lot easier.

I'm getting excited about this round of revisions. Even though I'm so stressed most of the time I can't see straight, I'm making progress. I've been tearing down and rebuilding the first four chapters for the last two weeks and I'm finally getting somewhere. And I'm thrilled. It's a crazy love-hate relationship, this writing gig. But I'm still madly in love. And I'm taking advantage of every single second of it.

In Love

So here's the scene. A crowded dining room at a not-so-local McDonald's, my table littered with loose-leaf pages of my third draft, my laptop sitting on a stack of papers and a half full cup of sweet tea to my left. Outside, the sun is shining so bright I have to squint anytime I look out the window. There's a highway right in front of the restaurant. It's one of those food/gas combos and people have been non-stop bustling in and out ever since I arrived over an hour ago. Dana and her mom dropped me here and left for a work-related picnic and I have been (kinda) hard at work ever since. I keep drifting off into a daydream involving me, that sunshine and the beach. I want it so bad I can almost feel the sand between my toes. Alas, here I sit.

I shouldn't really be complaining. I have been flooded with ideas and questions and suggestions for the first couple chapters of my novel, thanks to a couple lovely ladies who volunteered to beta read for me, as well as Dana. I have been elbow-deep in reworking the first scene in Chapter One and the last scene in Chapter Two. My pages are covered in blue and purple ink pen and my notebook is filled with chicken scratch ideas. This is the part of revision that I love. The exhilarating, creative, scribbling all over anything resembling paper, revision. The part where your mind is racing a million miles a second with ideas and dialogue and changes to make. I'm sure once I get to anything past Chapter Five, I'll hate the entire process again, but as of right now, I am in love.

In fact, I'm gonna get back to my new love right now and try to banish visions of sandy beaches and blue waters out of my head. Wish me luck!

Flawed

Okay, has anyone else ever found that the revision process seems never-ending? You think you're done but then you pick your manuscript up a week, two weeks, a month later and find all these flaws. These glaringly obvious flaws. So you take your pen and go to town, feeling like you've made miles of progress. Excited, you type all your changes into the computer and then read it again. More flaws.

More glaringly, blindingly, hideous flaws.

How do we keep missing them?

This is where I'm at. I've made progress. I'll happily give myself that. But each time I start from the beginning, I find something else I need to change. In my third round of revisions, I switched chapters 2 and 3 around. Of all the rearranging I did with my first rewrite, how did I miss that it works better this way? It's no wonder I found another gray hair this morning.

I do feel like I'm getting closer to done, though. I'm excited to find some beta readers and get some honest to goodness opinions from fellow writers. My mom, fiancee and best friend have read the early (scary, awful, crappy) drafts and Dana had some really helpful input. Mom, of course, loved it. And my best friend is almost finished and says she's got a printed copy marked up with suggestions. I've learned that the way people read things is completely different. I've got super-critical Dana, my mom who loves everything and my best friend who isn't afraid to tell me what's not working, but is still super proud of me for having written a book. I'm hoping once I get it in the hands of another writer (or two, or three...), I'll find yet another reader's perspective. I want this thing as polished as possible before I send it out into the world.

So, if anyone's interested in beta reading for me, I'm writing a contemporary romance/women's fiction novel about a 30-year-old pregnant woman. I'm hoping to be *done* by the end of the summer.

I should get back to work. I'll leave you with this song. It seems rather fitting for the whole revision process. Plus, I just adore this girl.

Flawed

Vacation's End...and a New Idea

It has been decided -- by me and pretty much everyone else in my life -- that I need to get back to work. Alas, my little writing-free vacation is over. Half of me is a petulant five-year-old, dragging her feet and pushing her bottom lip out in a pitiful little pout. But the other half is practically jumping up and down in excitement. I haven't looked at my novel since June 30th. Well, other than thumbing through my proof copy. And I can't wait to get back to it with fresh eyes and a renewed enthusiasm.

Dana has volunteered to finance a self-publishing venture, should I choose to take that road. I haven't quite decided if this is what I want to do. On one hand, I know a ton of people in my life would buy a copy. More than half the people I work with, my family, Dana's family, our friends. But beyond that, I don't know how far the reach is for this method of publication. Or if it would even be worth the financial burden I'm sure it would be. I have to wonder if it wouldn't be a better idea to pursue traditional publishing. Decisions, decisions.

In the meantime, I think I should just focus on getting the daggone thing done. Once and for all. And then I'll go from there.

But here is the problem I'm encountering -- A Shiny New Idea.



This idea has been fermenting in the back of my mind for the last couple of weeks, keeping me from working on an old manuscript and pretty much rendering me useless. I've done pretty good about resisting the temptation so far. My worry is that once I get started on the final revisions of my current project, I won't be able to stop thinking about the new idea.

So, here's my Question of the Day: How do you quiet the siren song of The Shiny New Idea? Any advice would be amazing!