I'm loving this writing frenzy. Having so much fun getting to know my characters. I think I'm enjoying the antagonistic characters as much as I'm enjoying the protagonist. I have this weird character trait of one of the protagonists that makes him so fun, and bit funny to write.
I went grocery shopping tonight and broke down and picked up a new microwave too...our old one can not be too safe, the lining inside is so worn.
I took my oldest son with me shopping, he is a hoot to take shopping, keeps me laughing. He doesn't stop talking the whole time, and usually it is about stuff that I have 0% interest in, but I nod and play along. We went to a house just outside of town to pick up a pair of pants I'd bought for my daughter. I pulled into the yard and she had chickens and roosters walking around her yard. I freaked out! I stayed in the van hoping the woman would notice and come out, but she didn't. I told my son, "I'm just going to get out and hope the chickens leave me alone." I stepped out of the van. They were just going about there merry way, so I thought, "okay this is gonna be alright." Until I started around the house for the back door, and then they started following me. I was freaking out, so I took off on the run to the door, knocked once quickly. and then just opened the door and invited myself in. The man kind of looked offended by that too. :) I got the pants and went on the run back to the van, the chickens and rooster running full speed behind me, clucking. And sure enough I got in the van and my son was laughing his head off. As soon as we got home it was the first thing he told my husband. Glad he was entertained, however I'm traumatized! Aghhh I hate chickens!
Overall a good night, if you can forget the chicken ordeal.
~R
Showing posts with label writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writer. Show all posts
Friday, March 22, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Plotting, Writer's Schizophrenia, and Me
209 pages into Stephen King's On Writing, and I am just really glad I decided to give this another go. I had been writing my current WIP (titled:Merge) without a plot, but then it seemed like plots were the way to go. Me and a friend decided to become crit partners and she sent me her very nicely done plot and I was like "hmmm, this may be what I am missing." Because I've been having a hard time concentrating and staying on task (sleep deprived, I believe now.) So I stopped writing, to plot....*sigh*.
Now after reading Stephen King saying he don't plot...I realize that I was okay not plotting, so tomorrow I'm giving up the plot and going on to to the writing. In my ebook Don't Open 'til Christmas, I didn't plot. I did make a visual board of my characters, because I need that, but I didn't plot. I just had a slight barebones idea in my head and I had no idea what was going to come of it. I loved the thrill of not knowing.
Another thing about this book that gave me that 'aha' moment, is that he says that he learns things about his characters as he writes them that he had no idea about and so he enjoys getting to know them. Makes me want to say to my daughter, "see I'm not a loony, or at least I'm not the only loony in the world." She makes fun of me because I'll say things to her like "I know I was going to make her run upstairs to hide, but she wanted to go in the back room instead. I had no idea why, until we got there and she told me there was an exit out of the house in that room and that's why she wanted to hide in there." I know it sounds nuts, but it's true in a weird way you won't understand unless you're a writer. Or I'll get writing and have it all worked out in my head and my character will say to me, "oh yeah I forgot to mention I can't hide in that closet because I'm claustrophobic...and I feel like screaming at her 'why didn't you tell me this before I worked the whole thing out in my head!!!"
Anyway I didn't get upstairs until about 10 minutes ago, it's been a busy day, so I have to end this here and head to bed now.
~R
Now after reading Stephen King saying he don't plot...I realize that I was okay not plotting, so tomorrow I'm giving up the plot and going on to to the writing. In my ebook Don't Open 'til Christmas, I didn't plot. I did make a visual board of my characters, because I need that, but I didn't plot. I just had a slight barebones idea in my head and I had no idea what was going to come of it. I loved the thrill of not knowing.
Another thing about this book that gave me that 'aha' moment, is that he says that he learns things about his characters as he writes them that he had no idea about and so he enjoys getting to know them. Makes me want to say to my daughter, "see I'm not a loony, or at least I'm not the only loony in the world." She makes fun of me because I'll say things to her like "I know I was going to make her run upstairs to hide, but she wanted to go in the back room instead. I had no idea why, until we got there and she told me there was an exit out of the house in that room and that's why she wanted to hide in there." I know it sounds nuts, but it's true in a weird way you won't understand unless you're a writer. Or I'll get writing and have it all worked out in my head and my character will say to me, "oh yeah I forgot to mention I can't hide in that closet because I'm claustrophobic...and I feel like screaming at her 'why didn't you tell me this before I worked the whole thing out in my head!!!"
Anyway I didn't get upstairs until about 10 minutes ago, it's been a busy day, so I have to end this here and head to bed now.
~R
Friday, March 15, 2013
Stephen King's On Writing, and more ramblings
When Stephen King's book On writing came out way back in 2002, I gobbled it up like a hungry child. I mean this is Stephen King we are talking about, the be all to end all! If he's talking, and your a writer, listen! I am only 95 pages into it now for the second time, and I love it to smithereens!
I forgot to mention I finished J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, it was what I call a slice of life story...or a true to life story. Very real worldish. I loved it. It made me laugh and cry. It was like being a fly on the wall and peeking into everyone's lives without them knowing it. and who doesn't want to do that? Right?
And my copy of The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared arrived. I'll start that later, right now I'm into On Writing.
He starts the book by letting us know early on that it isn't an autobiography, but there is an awful lot of his life in there. Maybe not a complete autobiography but a good glimpse into his life. It's certainly interesting seeing how his fame came about. He writes the book not like it's a chore, but rather like the reader and himself are sitting down to tea and he's having a conversation with you. Very casual and chatty, but not too chatty that it's annoying. I think knowing Stephen King's fame now makes it hard to believe he struggled to get published so it's a real breath of fresh-air to know that he struggled too. Not that I want anyone to struggle, but you know what I mean, right?
One of the things in this book that he says is to never write for the money, but write because you love it. I know someone who tries to write according to what is the 'in thing', and that baffles me. I am NOT into vampires, although that is all the rage right now, but I am not going to try to write something I don't like because that would be easier to get accepted in this vampire-induced world. Write what you love! and most importantly write because you love to write, not because you are hoping that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
With that being said Of course I'm hoping to get published someday ;)
If not then so be it...I'm getting free therapy sessions out of it.
I'm actually in the writing mood tonight, so I'm going to hit 'publish', and let this out into the Wild Wacky Woo-universe (that's what www stands for, right? Right?...yeah I thought so.)
~R
I forgot to mention I finished J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, it was what I call a slice of life story...or a true to life story. Very real worldish. I loved it. It made me laugh and cry. It was like being a fly on the wall and peeking into everyone's lives without them knowing it. and who doesn't want to do that? Right?
And my copy of The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared arrived. I'll start that later, right now I'm into On Writing.
He starts the book by letting us know early on that it isn't an autobiography, but there is an awful lot of his life in there. Maybe not a complete autobiography but a good glimpse into his life. It's certainly interesting seeing how his fame came about. He writes the book not like it's a chore, but rather like the reader and himself are sitting down to tea and he's having a conversation with you. Very casual and chatty, but not too chatty that it's annoying. I think knowing Stephen King's fame now makes it hard to believe he struggled to get published so it's a real breath of fresh-air to know that he struggled too. Not that I want anyone to struggle, but you know what I mean, right?
One of the things in this book that he says is to never write for the money, but write because you love it. I know someone who tries to write according to what is the 'in thing', and that baffles me. I am NOT into vampires, although that is all the rage right now, but I am not going to try to write something I don't like because that would be easier to get accepted in this vampire-induced world. Write what you love! and most importantly write because you love to write, not because you are hoping that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
With that being said Of course I'm hoping to get published someday ;)
If not then so be it...I'm getting free therapy sessions out of it.
I'm actually in the writing mood tonight, so I'm going to hit 'publish', and let this out into the Wild Wacky Woo-universe (that's what www stands for, right? Right?...yeah I thought so.)
~R
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Day In The Life Of A Brain Dead Writer
The way this post should go is...ummm..well, simply put, it shouldn't, but we'll pretend I'm not as brain dead as I claim and try to spew out something anyway. If you close your eyes real tight (and basically don't read this blog, but pretend that you did and that it was brilliant) and think real hard,you will probably log off and walk away just amazed at my talent (don't choke on your _insert beverage of choice here__. ) Maybe a hypnosis would be in order right about now, but then maybe not because coming up with the dialect for hypnosis might shatter the image I am trying to portray here. Remember? Yeah, brain dead writer.
So, without further ado, how my day goes on this lazy March Break:
7:00AM wake up and talk myself into getting out of bed
7:15 AM finally give into the doggy drool and roll out of bed, head to the bathroom to pee
7:17: AM slip into big floppy boots and oversized coat and take the dog to pee
7:25 AM come inside, and make mine and child #3's breakfast because he's usually up by then
8:00AM catch up on emails and check the dreaded facebook (not necessary but I'm brain dead remember?)
10:00AM realize that it's now 10 and I've just wasted 2 hours doing something completely non-productive and then regret it and wish that I'd not flushed that time down the crapper (do this for at least 15 minutes!!
10:15AM go pull child #1 and #2 out of bed.
10:20AM straighten up the house, all the while wishing you could find a few minutes to write that day (make sure to dwell occasionally on the perfectly good two hours you flushed down the drain earlier).
11: 45AM: look at the clock and remember "oh no it's almost dinner and the DH will be home soon and expect to be feed. So try to think up something quick on the spot that you can whip up in 15 minutes.
12:00PM: set a meal that looks like you've toiled all day over (when in actually it's just 5 minute rice, cauliflower, and simple 10 minute fried salmon) on the table and make all the hungry mouths happy...oh except for child #2 who of course don't like fish...*sigh*
12:30PM Do dinner dishes
12:45PM start the rolls for supper that night, the whole while thinking of all the writing I'm going to get done that night
1:00PM set down with some tea and spend a little time with the kids talking about so many different things that after 15 or 20 minutes I drift out of the conversation and wonder what Pia (my currant protagonist) will do tonight...because remember I have a writing session planned that is going to be so epiphanic-like that it's gonna knock the socks off that agent or editor out there that is just waiting for me to come along!).
2:30PM okay need to get to thinking about supper tonight...so I need to work out the points allowances (oh yes me and the family are weight watching :s) of everyone and make sure I can wing it tonight and keep us all on track. and what I mean by wing it is it's march break...and I just made a pretty good meal for dinner (shhhhh nobody needs to know it took less than 15 minutes), I don't need left over for lunches tomorrow, because there's no school. So I finally decide: Eggs and a dinner roll!!! Perfect for me and the DH at least, child #3 will be happy with the split pea soup I made last night and children #2 and #3 who neither one like eggs can eat a lean cuisine.
2:45 PM: a headache that's been threatening to come has finally arrived in full force and I'm on the couch, thinking about whether I can make it go away before the evening (you know the big writing frenzy I have on the agenda!)
3:00PM: DH comes home and says why not just relax and we'll watch a 45 minute episode of Dexter...which in this household take 1:30 hours with all the pauses.
4:30PM headache has pretty much subsided, but now my eyelids are heavy. I go out to fry our eggs and reheat the pea soup. I have child #3 choose which he wants and he takes the soup, and I set down to eat my breakfasty-supper
5:00PM I decide to load the dishwasher rather than do the small bit of dishes by hand
5:15PM and the time we've all been waiting for has arrived....I head upstairs to write
5:20PM what's this? Why it's a new Jodi Arias trial video on youtube...must watch that first, it's just a short 22minutes video after all :S
5:42PM eyelids are drooooooopy....yawn Don't think I can write through this haze...but I must try
7:48PM still staring at the same page...and finding it very difficult to keep my chin off my chest...
I AM BRAIN DEAD!!!!
so note to that editor or agent who is out there twiddling his/her fingers waiting for me...just give me a few more days okay...I'm paying off my sleep debt, I'm in the process of limiting my facebook time, promise! and Jodi Arias is on day 31 of her trial, she has to be sentences soon, right?
~R
So, without further ado, how my day goes on this lazy March Break:
7:00AM wake up and talk myself into getting out of bed
7:15 AM finally give into the doggy drool and roll out of bed, head to the bathroom to pee
7:17: AM slip into big floppy boots and oversized coat and take the dog to pee
7:25 AM come inside, and make mine and child #3's breakfast because he's usually up by then
8:00AM catch up on emails and check the dreaded facebook (not necessary but I'm brain dead remember?)
10:00AM realize that it's now 10 and I've just wasted 2 hours doing something completely non-productive and then regret it and wish that I'd not flushed that time down the crapper (do this for at least 15 minutes!!
10:15AM go pull child #1 and #2 out of bed.
10:20AM straighten up the house, all the while wishing you could find a few minutes to write that day (make sure to dwell occasionally on the perfectly good two hours you flushed down the drain earlier).
11: 45AM: look at the clock and remember "oh no it's almost dinner and the DH will be home soon and expect to be feed. So try to think up something quick on the spot that you can whip up in 15 minutes.
12:00PM: set a meal that looks like you've toiled all day over (when in actually it's just 5 minute rice, cauliflower, and simple 10 minute fried salmon) on the table and make all the hungry mouths happy...oh except for child #2 who of course don't like fish...*sigh*
12:30PM Do dinner dishes
12:45PM start the rolls for supper that night, the whole while thinking of all the writing I'm going to get done that night
1:00PM set down with some tea and spend a little time with the kids talking about so many different things that after 15 or 20 minutes I drift out of the conversation and wonder what Pia (my currant protagonist) will do tonight...because remember I have a writing session planned that is going to be so epiphanic-like that it's gonna knock the socks off that agent or editor out there that is just waiting for me to come along!).
2:30PM okay need to get to thinking about supper tonight...so I need to work out the points allowances (oh yes me and the family are weight watching :s) of everyone and make sure I can wing it tonight and keep us all on track. and what I mean by wing it is it's march break...and I just made a pretty good meal for dinner (shhhhh nobody needs to know it took less than 15 minutes), I don't need left over for lunches tomorrow, because there's no school. So I finally decide: Eggs and a dinner roll!!! Perfect for me and the DH at least, child #3 will be happy with the split pea soup I made last night and children #2 and #3 who neither one like eggs can eat a lean cuisine.
2:45 PM: a headache that's been threatening to come has finally arrived in full force and I'm on the couch, thinking about whether I can make it go away before the evening (you know the big writing frenzy I have on the agenda!)
3:00PM: DH comes home and says why not just relax and we'll watch a 45 minute episode of Dexter...which in this household take 1:30 hours with all the pauses.
4:30PM headache has pretty much subsided, but now my eyelids are heavy. I go out to fry our eggs and reheat the pea soup. I have child #3 choose which he wants and he takes the soup, and I set down to eat my breakfasty-supper
5:00PM I decide to load the dishwasher rather than do the small bit of dishes by hand
5:15PM and the time we've all been waiting for has arrived....I head upstairs to write
5:20PM what's this? Why it's a new Jodi Arias trial video on youtube...must watch that first, it's just a short 22minutes video after all :S
5:42PM eyelids are drooooooopy....yawn Don't think I can write through this haze...but I must try
7:48PM still staring at the same page...and finding it very difficult to keep my chin off my chest...
I AM BRAIN DEAD!!!!
so note to that editor or agent who is out there twiddling his/her fingers waiting for me...just give me a few more days okay...I'm paying off my sleep debt, I'm in the process of limiting my facebook time, promise! and Jodi Arias is on day 31 of her trial, she has to be sentences soon, right?
~R
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
March Break, writing (or lack of), sleep debt, and The Casual Vacancy
Hi and welcome. :)
It has been raining here like crazy today, but the cold is gone, somewhat. I hear we are in for another snow storm next week though, so I'm not packing the boots away yet. I'm a winter girl though, to be honest. It gives me the perfect excuse to stay inside and write. Seems more acceptable to be a hermit in the winter doesn't it?
It's march break right now, which, for me, means not a whole lot of writing is getting done. That's one of the draw-backs of having office-space upstairs, but I'm coping. I do have an alphasmart I could use, but I prefer the quietness of my office. I get a couple of hours in the evening, but lately I find that as soon as I am in front of the computer I can't seem to keep my eyes open.
My husband is an early to bed and early to rise kind of guy, and he has been telling me for the past 16 years that my sleep pattern is going to catch up to me. every headache, or ache he attributes to my sleeping. But I mean come on it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and I have been a night owl my whole life...and I do mean My WHOLE life. In this town if you ask anyone about the 'Amero's" sleeping pattern they can all tell you we are night owls...I could not even fathom going to bed before midnight. that just seems insane to me, I mean why go to bed and waste the best part of your day...er night...morning (whatever).
but the truth is my lifestyle is not working for me anymore, maybe it's because after 16 years of living with this man he's rubbed off on me, but I find myself staying up late and then barely able to function in the mornings, and if I set down quietly, or put on the TV I'm out like a light bulb. I refuse to attribute this to my age, so for now I'm blaming it on him. So I mention to him about my inability to stay awake and difficulty staying focused and he, as I suspected, blamed it on lack of sleep and then he shows me this link, and I'm starting to think he's on to something. So this march break I'm in bed by 10pm every night and sleeping until one of two things happens 1)I wake up naturally, or 2) My youngest son wakes up. So far I've been like clockwork, waking up at 7am every morning with just enough time to take the dog out to pee before my son wakes up. So right now I'm in the process of paying off my sleep debt! Let's hope this works...I'm tired of being tired.
On another note I'm into J. K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy and despite the fact that the book really sounds snore worthy IMO, I am riveted!!! This woman can write. And her characterization is just out-of-this-world unbelievable. trying to get it finished quickly because I have Jonas Jonasson's The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared on the way. Have any of you read either of these books?
~R
It has been raining here like crazy today, but the cold is gone, somewhat. I hear we are in for another snow storm next week though, so I'm not packing the boots away yet. I'm a winter girl though, to be honest. It gives me the perfect excuse to stay inside and write. Seems more acceptable to be a hermit in the winter doesn't it?
It's march break right now, which, for me, means not a whole lot of writing is getting done. That's one of the draw-backs of having office-space upstairs, but I'm coping. I do have an alphasmart I could use, but I prefer the quietness of my office. I get a couple of hours in the evening, but lately I find that as soon as I am in front of the computer I can't seem to keep my eyes open.
My husband is an early to bed and early to rise kind of guy, and he has been telling me for the past 16 years that my sleep pattern is going to catch up to me. every headache, or ache he attributes to my sleeping. But I mean come on it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and I have been a night owl my whole life...and I do mean My WHOLE life. In this town if you ask anyone about the 'Amero's" sleeping pattern they can all tell you we are night owls...I could not even fathom going to bed before midnight. that just seems insane to me, I mean why go to bed and waste the best part of your day...er night...morning (whatever).
but the truth is my lifestyle is not working for me anymore, maybe it's because after 16 years of living with this man he's rubbed off on me, but I find myself staying up late and then barely able to function in the mornings, and if I set down quietly, or put on the TV I'm out like a light bulb. I refuse to attribute this to my age, so for now I'm blaming it on him. So I mention to him about my inability to stay awake and difficulty staying focused and he, as I suspected, blamed it on lack of sleep and then he shows me this link, and I'm starting to think he's on to something. So this march break I'm in bed by 10pm every night and sleeping until one of two things happens 1)I wake up naturally, or 2) My youngest son wakes up. So far I've been like clockwork, waking up at 7am every morning with just enough time to take the dog out to pee before my son wakes up. So right now I'm in the process of paying off my sleep debt! Let's hope this works...I'm tired of being tired.
On another note I'm into J. K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy and despite the fact that the book really sounds snore worthy IMO, I am riveted!!! This woman can write. And her characterization is just out-of-this-world unbelievable. trying to get it finished quickly because I have Jonas Jonasson's The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared on the way. Have any of you read either of these books?
~R
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