Anew in November

We can finally open the windows in our house now and let the crisp, cooler air blow through, moving out and away some of the mental health issues that plagued the last couple of months. A combination of things became a slow slide I struggled to stop. 

 

But, once again, I've regrouped. My birthday was last month, and I'm grateful for another year, another chance to breathe fresh air, to walk with my husband beneath palm trees and blue skies, to pet the tortoises, and to pen the possibilities – the light and the dark - living in my imagination.

 

WRITING

I was thrilled to be one of three winners in a recent flash fiction contest held by lit agent, Janet Reid! I so needed that creative boost. Here's the link to the results post where you can read all three stories.

 

It's been a few years since I participated in NaNo, and I considered it this time around, but I don't have the oomph for it. I'm doing my own looser version in order to get this novel/novella done or as close to done as I can before the month is over. Please wish me luck!

 

 

READING

Both THE TRAP by Catherine Ryan Howard and THE LAST ONE by Will Dean were so suspenseful and twisty, I almost got paper cuts I turned those pages so fast and furious. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the debut novel, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb. It's a tense mystery whose characters practically jump off the page. 

 

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Are you enjoying the weather where you are? Read anything amazing lately? Any writing goals or goals in general for this month? If you're participating in NaNo, I wish you all the luck and all the words! 

Focus and Looking Forward

Last month was full of hoopla – big and small, positive and negative – so November needs to be about focus and about looking forward to next year. I'll still pop in, but I'll mostly be on a blogging/social media break until December.

All of us here at TSR are incredibly grateful for so much, including our wonderful readers. Wishing you all an amazing November and a very happy Thanksgiving!

IWSG: Cave Dweller

Join Us!

I am way down here in the deep, dark NaNo caves, and I'm struggling to find my out, to find my way through. I'm searching for a rope so I can haul my word count to higher ground. I'm looking for a light to show my plot the way forward. I'm digging for hunks of confidence, buried like precious metals.

The other day, I was reading blogs (instead of working on NaNo!) when I came across these lines:

". . . I absolutely read what I wrote the day 

or hour before and believe that it is 

this horrible, unpublishable dreck. 

I'm usually typing away at something 

and shaking my head at the same time, 

because I think it sucks. 

It's true. I've got eight published novels . . . 

and guys - it just doesn't matter. 

Whatever I'm creating right now 

is going to be the book that reveals me 

as a fraud and a hack. 

I have no confidence when I'm creating, 

so if you're in the same place - congratulations. 

You're a writer."

(Mindy McGinnis)

Maybe I'm not as alone down here as I thought . . . .

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Are you and your project stuck in a cave, too, or is the sun on your skin, the breeze ruffling your manuscript's pages? Any suggestions for how to get there? How's November, in general, going for you? 

Out of My Gourd

For some people, Fall means cool, crisp weather. For others, it means pumpkin-flavored everything. Since I'm still running my air conditioner, and I'd rather carve a pumpkin than eat it, nothing says Fall to me like National Novel Writing Month.

This time around, I'm a NaNo Rebel. I will write 50,000 words of fresh fiction, but it will not be a novel. At least, I don't think so. I have Plan A and Plan B, which means I'll probably end up with Plan W, but I'm okay with that.

See, somewhere along the line, my writing stopped being fun. This happened for more reasons than I can count or even define. And I really, really miss that energy, that joy. Then I came across this quote by R. L. Stine:

"The writers who go into a school, do an assembly and say to write from the heart, write your passion, write what you know . . . the kids who listen to them will never write a word . . . I've written 350 books, and not one has come from my heart, not a single one. It's true! They're all written to entertain people, for people to enjoy and have fun. But you don't have to write from the heart."

So, this November, I will have fun with my writing again! And if I have to take down every pumpkin in the vicinity to do it, I will! (Drama! Suspense! A Possible Serial Killer of Pumpkins!) I have no idea what will happen, but since the month will go by anyway, why not have something creative - brilliant? stinky? both? - to show at the end of it?

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Are you NaNo-ing this November? Excited about your current project? Still having fun with your writing? Are you pro-pumpkin?

I Got Nothing, or The November-NaNo Blues

This November and this NaNo are kicking my butt. My energy level is so low that the tortoises could beat me in a foot race. (And yes, I know they have four feet to my two but you get my point.) And my creative well is so dry . . . .  I can't come up with a good way to finish that sentence.

So, instead of more blather from me, I thought I'd share some more of my favorite comics from over at Introvert Doodles.

(Marzi's book is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and would make a great gift for the holidays. I already own it and love it! And the only thing I get from talking about any of it, is the joy that comes from sharing something creative and fun.)

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How's your November? If you participated in NaNo, how was it? Think you could beat the tortoises in a foot race? (You might think twice if you've seen them hustle after a banana....)

A Curmudgeon on Caffeine

Here in the trenches of NaNoWriMo, I'm a little busy trying to figure out a couple of things, like why a secondary character has suddenly decided she'd like to be the antagonist (I mean, seriously?!) and how many cups of coffee can I drink before I start acting like Kramer from Seinfeld.

So, as you can see, my mind is not very focused on marketing or social media at the moment. But when I saw this quote in Writer's Digest (Nov/Dec 2017), I chuckled - okay, so it was more like caffeine-tinged-maniacal laughter - because not only is it an excellent strategy for social media but also for life in general.

"EVEN IF YOU ARE A NATURALLY CRANKY,

SNARKY, SOUR-TEMPERED PAIN IN THE ASS,

FOR GOD'S SAKE,  SHARE THAT 

WITH YOUR THERAPIST OR PRIEST. 

WHEN YOU GO ONLINE TO PROMOTE YOURSELF

AND THEREFORE YOUR PRODUCTS,

TRY NOT TO ACTUALLY SCARE

PEOPLE OFF YOUR LAWN."

(Jonathan Maberry)

As someone who, in real life, straddles the line between pleasantly polite yet keeps-to-herself and curmudgeonly crazy lady who peers through the blinds absolutely certain those kids on tricycles are up to no good, I really hope I'm at least keeping my digital lawn welcoming and well-tended.

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Are you running on caffeine right about now? Is your digital lawn full of weeds? How about your real lawn? Do you chase kids off your property or do you join them in a rousing game of hide-n-seek?

Maybe More Than a Little

Last week, a local theater ran the original Psycho. In honor of Halloween and the start of another NaNoWriMo, my husband and I went. We'd seen Psycho before but not on a big screen, not in a roomful of people with their own reasons for going. Soon, we were all lost in another time, another place. 

That's pretty much what happens to me during November - I get lost in a world of my own making. I look up from my keyboard and have to blink a few times to situate myself. I walk out of my office and catch a glimpse of a character running down the hall, darting into another room. I have to ask my poor husband to repeat his question a third time because I'm busy trying to figure out how - or if! - my protagonist will manage to kill the creature lurking in the shadows.

I am not easy to live with during the best of times, but November brings its own special kind of Hell for my long-suffering, patient husband. So, while we were watching Psycho, a particular scene made me laugh out loud because I'm pretty sure it sums up what my husband thinks of me during NaNoWriMo. (Okay, maybe he feels this way all the time, but he's too nice to say it.) 

"IT'S NOT LIKE [SHE'S] A MANIAC 

OR A RAVING THING.

SHE JUST GOES A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES.

WE ALL GO A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES.

HAVEN'T YOU?"

(Norman Bates)

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Do you wig out (pun intended!) during NaNoWriMo? Or when you're deep into a creative project? How does your spouse/significant other/support team handle you? Do you do anything to thank them when - if?! - sanity returns?

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

The following quote hangs on the bulletin board in my office  -  

MY MIND IS A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD

I TRY NOT TO GO INTO ALONE.

(Anne Lamott)

Well, since I've basically moved in there already, easier said than done. Right now my neighbors are a creature I've only caught a glimpse of (and that was more than enough to induce nightmares, thank you very much) and an old man with a nice smile and a well-tended lawn who might be a really bad dude. I hope the little girl across the way has a better weapon than that manatee keychain because otherwise we are all in big trouble.    

Yes, it's NaNoWriMo time! 

And since I'm hunkering down and hiding from what I suspect is a truly hideous Welcome Wagon, I'm going to miss November's IWSG. I still plan on posting here and visiting you all throughout the month . . . unless my neighbors have other ideas . . . . Gulp.

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Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what are you working on? Do you like scary stories? Want to recommend a favorite horror novel or author?  

Trust The Talent

TRUST THE TALENT.

WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME IS,

WHEN YOU'RE AT YOUR DARKEST MOMENTS 

AND YOU THINK YOU'RE WRITING 

THE WORST THING THAT'S EVER BEEN WRITTEN, 

AND IT'S GOING TO BE A FAILURE,

YOU JUST WANT TO GIVE UP AND GO TO MADRID,

THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS SIMPLY 

GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO YOUR INSTINCTS.

(Robert Crais)

I hate to admit it, but I don't trust my instincts enough. I second guess my writing choices fifty-two times (or would that be "fifty-second guess my choices"? Ugh, too much math!) First person or third person POV? Present or past tense? My protagonist can't say that . . . or can he? My antagonist can't do that . . . or can she? This idea is too creepy/too weird/too out-of-the box . . . or is it?

But usually, if instead of agonizing, I just stop and listen, I hear the answer, I feel the moment. It's like when two puzzle pieces fit together - on the front, a picture starts taking shape while on the back, the seams all line up. When that happens over and over - snap, click, snap, click - I end up with a 500 piece puzzle, a 1000 piece puzzle, a story connected and constructed by a writer's instinct and trust.

As many of us gear up for NaNo next month and some of us begin to plan writing goals for the new year (overachievers!), please remember to trust your storytelling instincts, trust your talent. Trust yourself. You've got this! 

This Certainly Looks Like A Lot Of Words

The title of this post comes from an episode of Seinfeld, and it's one of my favorite J. Peterman moments -

And it pretty much explains my November. I moved though National Novel Writing Month mostly slow and steady, like a tortoise. Occasionally, I wrote fast and furious, like a tortoise attacking a basil plant (I'm looking at you, Larry!) I ended up with a "win" and a pretty solid draft. I have a beginning, a middle, and an end - something I haven't achieved during my last few NaNo attempts. I actually have a story.

Speaking of words and stories, I don't know about you, but I love to get and to give books as gifts. Maria Zannini has A Gift Guide for The Reader over on her blog. (You might recognize one or two of the authors listed!)

So, here we are at the beginning of December. If you started a project - a story, a novel, revisions, classes, an art project, a goal of some sort - way back in the beginning of November, you now have something that did not exist before. You created something new, and that is awesome! You won, too! 🏆

Happy December, everyone!

Gratitude, Passion and NaNo

"TO ME, 

NORMAL IS THE ABSENCE OF PASSION.

I WANT TO CRAVE AN EMBRACE,

LOSE MYSELF IN THE TASTE OF A

DELICIOUS PIECE OF DARK CHOCOLATE,

FEEL EVERY HAIR ON MY ARM STAND ON END 

FROM THE LICK OF A COOL BREEZE.

NORMAL?

NAH, KEEP IT.

I'M TOO BUSY 

BEING GRATEFUL AND PASSIONATE 

ABOUT THIS LIFE I'M LIVING."

(Kristin Cast)

Busy being grateful and passionate? That's me! Hopefully, it's all of you, too. 

For the rest of the month, I'm throwing myself into my NaNo novel. I will come up for air. And turkey. And chocolate. And to remind my husband and the tortoises who I am. But otherwise, I'm pretty much on a blogging break.

I wish you all a wonderful rest of the month and a very happy Thanksgiving! See you in December!

Shine On, People. Shine On.

Many of us are gearing up for National Novel Writing Month. Some of us are throwing ourselves into November armed with scene cards and a caffeine IV drip. Some of us are winging it with a pen and a prayer. Maybe you're not participating in NaNo, but you're diving into a different project.

Wherever our creativity takes us the rest of this year, the rest of our lives, let's make sure we remember this quote from Nic Stone: 

"DON'T LET SOMEONE DIM YOUR LIGHT,

SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S SHINING IN THEIR EYES.

NOT EVERYONE WILL BE SUPPORTIVE 

OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

SOME WILL BALK.

SOME WILL TELL YOU NOT TO WASTE

YOUR LIFE ON PIPE DREAMS.

SOME WILL TREAT YOUR DESIRE TO WRITE

LIKE IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN A HOBBY,

AND WILL JUDGE THE WAY YOU USE YOUR TIME.

KNOW THAT IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THEM.

SHINE ON."

IWSG: Ready, Set . . . Go!

 For More Information

This October, I'm gearing up for two big things, and I'm anxious about both of them.

The first is National Novel Writing Month in November. I've done and won NaNo a number of times, but it's been awhile since I felt good about what I ended up with. I'm not talking about a perfect, publishable manuscript. I just want to be happy with what I have to work with, to revise, later on. So, I'm doing a lot more prep work this time around, and I'm hoping it will help. 

The next thing is running a 5K. If you've been around this blog for a bit, you know I'm working on my health and weight. I've been training somewhat secretly. Of course, the people in my neighborhood who see me jiggle-jog down the sidewalk know something is up. But I've kept it kind of hush-hush because, honestly, I'm not sure I can even physically do it, and I hate the idea of setting myself up for failure, admitting defeat. (It's actually longer than an official 5K and "zombies" are going to try and grab three flags that will represent my life. The goal is to get to the finish line with at least one flag/life left. I just want to get to the end, "dead" or alive.)

I can use all the encouragement and support I can get, along with any advice - for the running and/or the writing. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it . . . 

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I'm co-hosting this month's IWSG along with these folks - Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Angela Wooldridge, and Susan Gourley. Please show them some comment love!

IWSG: Does Lightning Ever Strike Twice?

Visit HERE for more information

It never fails. In December, I look at my NaNo draft and think. "Did I really just spend a whole month writing this…drivel?" (I actually use a different word but this is a relatively family-and-tortoise-friendly blog.) Then I start thinking about all the other things I could have, should have, done instead, and I want to throw away the whole manuscript and all the notes I can't read and that make no sense. For example: "The bag is gone!" Whaaaat? What bag? Whose bag? Is that even what it says or could it actually be "The dog is gone!" or "The bag is bone!" Knowing me, that "bone" one makes more sense….)

But I think what hangs me up the most is that every year I look at the NaNo draft as potentially "THE ONE" - the novel that will get me an agent, a publisher, great reviews, loyal fans, etc. That's a lot of pressure to put on a pile of paper and a half formed - at best! - story. Part of that comes from my first ever NaNo experience - many, many years ago - when I did actually snag an agent with that revised manuscript. Nothing ever came of it though, and the agent and I parted ways amicably.

But I continue to see many published authors saying their newly published novel was a 2008, 2009, 2011 NaNo project. I worry that the lightning won't strike twice for me. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. 

But then I look at that pile of paper, and I think the time was well spent after all. I met some interesting people in those pages, and I rode some interesting roller-coaster plot twists.  

And really, what else was I going to do in November anyway? Clean my house? Yeah, right.

As NaNo Nears . . . .

I have a story idea for NaNo. Okay, it's really just a scene. Not even a scene. More of an image, like a still from a movie. 

I've tried to rewind it to see what happened before.... Nothing. Fast forward to see what happens after.... Nothing. I know a story exists; I feel it.

I sorted through my folders of ideas - news stories, scraps of overheard dialogue, shreds of dreams scribbled down in the gray morning light - wondering if anything would shake something loose, would make that still move. 

And move it did. Only not in the smooth flowing way I'd like. No. Instead, I'd come across an idea, an article, a character sketch and I'd feel that ping, the one that says "Yes, I belong in this story. I don't know why or in what capacity exactly, but I belong here. Trust me."

And so I do. 

I still don't know what my story is about. I don't have an outline or a timeline. I don't have a working title. I do have a main character. I have a sense of foreboding and fear. I have more stills than I care to count, but I also have blips of movement, of actual scenes. I have the essence of the story, and for me, for now, that's enough.

How do your ideas come to you - fully formed or in pieces? Do they arrive visually, like in images, or do you hear your characters' voices? Do you get a ping or something else? If you're participating in NaNo, how prepared are you?  

A Reading and Writing Roundup...with Walkers

Here's another eclectic post for you all....

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Is anyone planning on doing NaNo this November? I still haven't decided yet myself. But I am enjoying all the NaNo Prep Posts over at The Office of Letters and Light blog. I particularly liked No Plot? No Problem!: 3 Things to Keep in Mind While Brainstorming and No Plot? No Problem!: In Which a Planning Limit is Proposed (Gasp!)

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I am already a huge Joshilyn Jackson fan so the chance to get an autographed copy of her new novel, Someone Else's Love Story, would be great...and entirely possible! She's doing a Virtual Book Tour for all her fans who can't make it to her actual book tour. She'll sign and/or personalize copies of SELS through the local indie bookstore where she got her start. Oh, and did I mention there will be prizes? The more orders the store gets, the more prizes Ms. Jackson will add!

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This podcast on Author Entrepreneurs - Hugh Howey is one of the panelists - was very interesting and gave me some new things to think about regarding self-publishing. 

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Since I am both a writer and a huge fan of beachcombing, I loved this post - Writing and "Found Objects" and Beachcombing - by author Laini Taylor. Oh, and check out the amazing elephant at the end.

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Is it October yet? More specifically, is it Sunday, October 13th yet? Hey, give me a break - I haven't mentioned The Walking Dead for awhile now! I can't wait! I feel like a kid at Christmas - okay, a weird, Walker-filled Christmas but you know what I mean. 

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Planning on doing NaNo this year? Thinking about self-publishing, if you haven't already? Excited about the return of The Walking Dead or any other favorite TV shows? What are you looking forward to over the next few months?

Book Notes and Writing News From Around the Web

Some writing news and and book updates I thought you all might be interested in...

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In honor of Women's History Month, The Book Case had a great post about 11 female authors to watch for this spring and summer. I've already added two books to my TBR list!

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Stephen King's new novel, Dr. Sleep, won't be out until September 2013, but the cover has been revealed and I am not ashamed to tell you, it is already giving me nightmares!

Plus, here's a great interview on EW.com with King about this sequel to The Shining. And, if you can't wait until September, check out King's Joyland this June!

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The NaNoWriMo blog posted an interview with R.L. Stine: On Writing Addiction, Challenging Himself and Thrillerfest.

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I bookmarked this post from Writer Unboxed back in January and it's one for the "keeper file." In Embrace the Naked, Robin Lafevers reminds us how - "The act of writing is not only about claiming our truths, our selves, but having the courage to not apologize when we do. Our writing is where we need to be our bravest and most fearless selves. You can’t write your best work if you’re not all in—and once you’re all in, you’re vulnerable. We don’t serve our audience—our true audience—by holding back."

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Will you check out any of the books by those female authors to watch? Are you planning on reading either/both of Kings books? Are you a fan of R.L Stine? Planning on attending Thrillerfest? As a writer, do you "bare all" on the page? 

Why I Am NaNoWriMo-Less This November

I participated in and won National Novel Writing Month for 8 years. 

I participated in and won Camp NaNo for 2 years.

This November I am saying "no" to NaNo in order to say "yes" (See my The Year of Yes post) to something else - my current work in progress, the manuscript I took to the The Breakout Novel Intensive V2.0 conference this past September. 

I tried to find a way to make this WiP fit in with NaNo but I just couldn't. And I didn't want to lose the momentum and forget all the great advice and encouragement I received at BONI.

And so, this year, while I will not be sporting the newest NaNo t-shirt (believe me, I have enough of them - they're pretty much my in-house wardrobe), I will take out my "plot" mug and I will raise it in a toast to all of you who are participating - Good Luck, Everyone!

A Rebel Learns a Lesson (Lesson #2)

If you're interested, here's the link to the first lesson I learned this National Novel Writing Month.

Now, on to Lesson #2 -

Regular readers of my stories are aware that a lot of what I write is dark, maybe edgy, often sad. (Don't ask me why. I don't know and I'm not sure I really want to know...) This NaNo novel is no exception. There are some funny parts and lighter moments (if not, I'd be under my desk, weeping) but there's one particular scene - a violent crime - that gave me pause. It makes sense within the framework of the story and by the end, a lot of questions regarding the crime have been answered. But that wasn't good enough for me. This horrible scene has to make sense to the reader the first time it's read. Not later in the story. Not after some things are clarified. Right then.

You've probably heard phrases along the line of "a senseless act of violence" and "a crime with no motive," right? To us, the outsiders, the spectators, that's how it looks. To most of the victims in my novel, to the other characters, that's how this scene looks - senseless, unmotivated. That's fine. But the reader needs to see more than that, even if just a little.

The reader knows the bad guy is a creep but is he that much of a creep? Yes. But I have to show the reader that beforehand, show how one thing leads to another then leads to another and so on, until this guy thinks he has every right to do what he's about to do. This horrible thing that's about to happen makes sense to him. And so, even if the reader would never see and do things this way, it still makes sense to the reader that this guy would behave like this.

I read somewhere once that the antagonist is really the hero of his own story, that he has a reason for everything he does and says and wants, etc. So, in his mind, my bad guy is justified in what he is about to do. It makes sense to him. And, hopefully, it makes sense to the reader.

(Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to crawl under my desk and try to figure out a way to stop this creep....or at least figure out a scene where he gets severely punished...)

A Rebel Learns a Lesson (Lesson #1)

I always learn something during National Novel Writing Month. It could be anything - the idea I thought was so great actually stinks up the place, I drink way more coffee than I should, or the tortoises miss me hanging out with them since I'm in my office more than usual. (Okay, that last one is just an assumption on my part.)

This year - my first year as a NaNo Rebel - is no exception. But unlike the lessons above, I thought some of you might find what I learned this time around helpful or interesting or both. And please go ahead and comment if you have anything to add. I can use all the help I can get.

Lesson #1 - Flashbacks that are too long can be incredibly boring. (I swear I dozed off as I read back one I wrote for this novel.) It doesn't matter if the content is interesting (as I had believed this was.) It just wasn't working. I think the problem was that not only was the flashback itself too long and but it also took the reader out of the story for too long. The sense of immediacy was gone and a distance took its place.

Now, there are a number of solutions to this problem but one I stumbled upon was to have the character who was experiencing the flashback to tell it to another character instead. This keeps the reader in the story. It makes the reader more a part of the story because he or she is now listening to it just like the other character(s). I can add mannerisms to everyone in the scene, making them all more full and complex. I can mention aspects about the setting, etc. cementing the reader in the here and now while still learning previously experienced critical aspects of the plot and/or character development.

Another solution I found was to make the flashback more active. In my case, I took one of the snooze-fest flashbacks that happen later in my novel and rewrote a big chunk of it. Then, I moved the new part to earlier in the novel where it is actually happening and not just a memory. 

I won't know what will or won't work for this novel until I'm done with writing and revising...and revising...and revising but I am definitely going to keep this lesson in mind for future stories.