A Fine Mess

No, I'm not talking about my office - although I sure could be. (Well, no, that's actually more of a disaster area.) It's my Western. Hoo-boy! Where to begin???

I did what I planned, which was to start looking it over and form a plan of attack for filling in the holes. But this is going to be a more gargantuan task than I anticipated. (Note to self: Go with linear writing for future WIPs!)

On just the first quick scan, without actually reading, we have a case here of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. I'll enumerate them in reverse order so I can end on a positive note and feel some optimism as I close out the blog entry. {g}

THE UGLY
#1: Since this is to be book one of three, I *really* need a Bible to keep track of all the details. The problem is, I have FOUR multi-page story Bibles, various parts of which contradict each other, and this is only including information from book one. ::rolling eyes at self:: As to why, don't ask 'cause I don't know how I managed that one. {g} Before I continue writing, these must be condensed into one coherent, non-contradictory Bible.

#2: My original chapter one and opening of chapter two are written from the POV of a character I've already decided to eliminate from book one except as a reference.

THE BAD
#3: I have to choose which ending I want to go with - the original or the longer one - which will impact the whole story arc. Either would be good, I think. One will make the book shorter and more typically a western romance and more like what I had in mind for the series when I first conceived it. The other ending will make it longer, more dramatic, and more of a saga, and perhaps more rewarding for the heroine and hero. I have to know my ending before I start plugging holes or that will be a futile exercise.

#4: I am having just a tinsy crisis of confidence: I wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew with this story (though I am usually pretty good at telling that thought to beat it when it pops into my head). Since it's not strictly romance, or historical, or murder mystery, or paranormal, but has some of all of that, is it Just Too Much? (Or is it Just Too Much for a first novel?)

THE GOOD
#5: I still like the story. Whew!

#6: I really like my characters, except for the baddies, and I really *don't* like them (as it should be).

So. All in all, I think I can do this. As I said, a lot more work to be done than I had thought, but now I have a more realistic idea of where it stands.

Onward!

Great Books of Words

I don't know about you all, but I really do love words. Good Words. Colorful Words. Tasty Words! (Okay, yes, My name is Mrs. Mitty and I am a wordaholic.) I love the way they look, the way they sound and knowing or learning where they came from. I love the way it feels to say them and to know all about them.

Browsing my library, well, my scattered hoards and stashes of books, actually -- to suggest that my books are in some order resembling the tidiness of a library would be a big fat lie, not to mention putting on airs {g} -- I find that a lot of them are about words.

Here's a little sampling:
A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Synonyms & Antonyms
Websters New World Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
A 1923 edition of a huge (4" thick with teensy-tinsy print) dictionary with all kinds of good old words in it...
The New International Webster's Comprehensive Dictionary (another big fat one but only about three years old)
And the list goes on.

I suppose it's no big surprise for a writer or a reader to have this kind of stash. I will say the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue and the Brewers are my favorites, followed closely by the old, yellowed dictionary. But I'm curious to know if other readers and writers have any really special or unique favorite word-books.

Do you? And if so, what books are they? I'm always on the lookout for new goodies.

You Must Be A Writer

1. You must be a writer if, even when you've been procrastinating about opening it up, you are compelled to race to your WIP the moment a wisp of a good idea comes floating within the grasp of your conscious mind.

2. You must be a writer if there's a path worn in your house from the place you write to the place that serves up the caffeine or, alternately, caffeine-free beverages to which you are, nonetheless, addicted. (It's actually not about the beverage - it's your brain yelling at your sleeping ass to return some of the blood flow and feed it a little more oxygen...)

3. You must be a writer if, when you're on a hot streak and you see your ____ (spouse, neighbor, kids, dog, mother-in-law....fill in the blank) coming, you have an overwhelming desire to be able to turn invisible so you can keep working without interruption.

4. You must be a writer if you wish you never had to stop to 1) eat, 2) sleep, 3) go to the bathroom, or 4) go to w*rk. Such petty considerations should not be allowed to keep you from your magnum opus.

5. You must be a writer if, when you step outside after working very intently on your writing for a few days or weeks, you discover it's a different season than the last time you noticed*. (Not dissimilar from the situation where you've driven yourself home from someplace on mental auto-pilot, without having any recall of the details of the trip...but lots of details about what's going on in the WIP.)

Got any more??? {g}


* Michigan writers may not even notice this phenomenon, however, since the seasons seem to change much more frequently than they're supposed to. Seasonally, our year goes a bit like this (starting in January): Winter, Winter, Winter, Spring, Winter, Winter, Summer, Spring, Summer, Fall, Summer, Summer, Summer, Winter, Summer, Fall, Winter, Winter, Fall, Winter, Winter. {g}

Random Thoughts About Writing

My last thought before I sat down at the computer - fresh coffee in hand (no, in cup, actually) - arrived in sort of a bubble of giddiness: “Do you know how much I LOVE writing?” (Don't ask me whom I was thinking it to. [g])

It's one of a few select creative activities that I can totally immerse myself in: writing and painting (quasi-artistic, not house) foremost among them. I guess it's about making something from nothing. I bet God enjoys His work, likewise.

I can write and fiddle with my writing for hours on end, days on end, even, barely coming up for air or sustenance or human contact, though my family doesn't let me get away with it for long.

On one hand, this is a wondrous, transported state of being. I create; I am my creations – in the sense of experiencing all that they do, vicariously – and I love the work involved in trying to perfect the creation.

On the other hand, it works really well as a way to escape tending to the laundry, dishes, paperwork and other such less pleasant responsibilities demanded of someone running a household, which can create discontent within the family/community.

Why does there always have to be a price? Polarity? Consequences? Struggle?

Questions for the Ages, I suppose. But I'll continue to take it as it comes and deal with creating balance as I need to.

Because, seriously, do you know how much I LOVE writing? [S]


*****************
Tracking...
A little more fiddling with the current scene, prep for posting in exercises.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

So, October rather fell apart as far as writing goes. I don't think I topped 1000 words for the month. (OTOH, it's 1000 more than I wrote last October.)

So, on to November! I set a goal of 500 measly words a week. If I can't do *that* something is seriously wrong and I shall have to have a severe talk with myself, in addition to letting everyone call me a wannabee.

In the writing I did manage last month, one unexpected thing happened. Well, two things.

1) Jerlann became Jerlanna. Whoopdeedoo! But, the reason she got a mini-name change, is because 2) she is going to become more involved in the story and needs a nickname and I didn't want it to be Lann or Ann. Lanna seems nicer. If I am right, she's going to become one of the Maru. (And here I thought she was just going to be a bratty little sister we'd see the last of in chapter one.)

UNLESS...this is just one of those wild hares the Muse throws out across your path to see if you'll run after it...while she sits back and laughs and calls out, "Just kidding!"

We shall see...

How to Start a Fight, or, The Death of Manners

This is going to sound a little personal - and it is - but real life is full of writing lessons. This one is: Reflect on real-life experiences to make your writing stronger and more real.

There are a few topics that were once considered taboo in polite dinner conversation; among them, Religion and Politics. I wish they still were. By everyone, but especially by my extended family.

Not recently, but in the not too distant past, our extended family (DH's side) was dining out together at a fine-dining restaurant - a rare occasion - and the talk turned to politics. DH and I are of a political persuasion at odds with the rest of the family's, so my immediate hope was that DH would not take the bait and respond to 'the other side's' provocative remark. Silly me, I should have known better.

I tried, truly I did, to say nothing, and to encourage DH likewise. But this family is one of strong wills and stronger opinions (however misguided {g}), and they are not inclined to keep their opinions to themselves. If necessary, they gang up on the person(s) they perceive as "wrong" and, as a last ditch effort, revert to the "loudest opinion wins" philosophy. It seemed they felt it necessary that day (DH provided a good argument for 'our side'). Well, the ganging up ensued, but thank God, it didn't get loud.

I tried to deflect the topic to safer ground (and failed) and in the interest of not causing a public row, just made "the face" at DH to let them rant and rave as there is no point trying to make them "think" about what they are spouting. From that point, I simply kept my mouth shut and said nothing to any of them. I started talking to DH quite deliberately about some topic altogether different. I got some looks from the others sitting nearby, but gradually, they got the hint and that topic of discussion died.

By that time, I felt as if we had been personally attacked and I was thoroughly pissed off with the whole bunch of them. I was prepared to get up and leave and they could all f* off and die, for all I cared. Bearing in mind that most of the time they are wonderful, loving people whom I love. But apparently, politics turns them into mindless, ravening beasts. (Maybe it's just a wee bit of a hot button for DH and me as well. {g})

In any case, I stuffed my rage, got indigestion and a headache, and had a thoroughly rotten evening. DH and I left first after dessert was finished and spoke about cutting ties with them all on the way home. We decided, nah, we're all just pissed off and caught up in the emotions provoked by having our strong beliefs attacked. So we got over it.

Now, the moral of this little story, writers, is that it doesn't take all that much to start a war. Strong emotions, strong beliefs, an unwillingness to settle, and an incautious tongue are four volatile ingredients that can explode into unintended consequences.

It just so happens that DH and I care enough about maintaining family ties to have not acted on our initial impulses. Remember that, the next time you (or your characters) sit down to dinner, particularly if it's with someone you love less than you love your family. Use the What If... technique with your characters. What if they all thought they were sitting down to an innocuous social dinner and Someone said something extremely inflammatory, not knowing that Someone Else had Serious Reason to Object, and ... well, you know what to do. ;)

Dream on, Mrs. Mitty

Doesn't pay to think, some days.

Just fifteen minutes ago, I was thinking how very nice it was that DH and DS were really understanding my need for quiet writing time, and leaving me to it, and picking up the slack I was creating in household chores.

Well, pop that dream bubble. {g} Two minutes ago, just as I started warming up to some rewriting in the fantasy novel, DH comes in and says, “I need your help.”

Ah, well. It's nice to be needed, too. {s}