Happy Halloween!

I trust that everyone is celebrating today.

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Myself, I'm just back up and moving around, though not at my best. It would seem I've overdone things [as I tend to do] trying to get ready for the upcoming writing marathon. Severe fatigue set in Wednesday. Not even a large Tim Horton's, French Vanilla Cappuccino could keep me awake and going. And Thursday--amid a couple loads of laundry--I succumbed.

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I've managed to get a little editing and research done in the morning, but by mid afternoon I went to lay on the couch to take a nap. When I woke up about six hours later, still very tired, I called it a day.

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Here's where the erratic sleep patterns of fibromyalgia kick in. I've been up now, since about 3:00 this morning, and aside from getting seed out for the birds, feeding my girls and me, I've really only managed to get the laundry going again. I'm so darn tired right now it's difficult to concentrate, and I'm struggling to even get this post finished. The desire to lie down for another nap [yes, I've already nodded off a few times today], is so strong, but I worry on not waking up for another half a day.

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Pacing. The only way I'm going to make it through November is to pace myself. Keep up with my vitamins, supplements, the right foods, and-- yadda, yadda, yadda. I've also decided I'm not going to beat myself up and/or get frustrated when a day or two comes and I simply need to walk away and take a break. That said, I couldn't help but think, yesterday, I'm wore out and haven't even started yet.

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So, though I still need to go to the grocery, I need to tend to myself today and not worry on tomorrow.

and a Blessed Samhain!
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Etched in Stone

Writing Tip of the Day: Oct. 28, 2008

Never resist editing, because your writing isn't etched in stone

and can always be improved for the reader.

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In speaking to this tip alone, I'm dividing those of us who write into two categories. Those who write for themselves and those who aspire to readership. I am reminded that writers, of the latter, have a responsibility to make their intent clear.

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For me this lies in the area of what I tend to take for granted and forget to expound upon. I see the setting, I've got everything going on in my head and simply forget to include some of the details. There are also the times I've been known to go overboard. I like details. But, I'm working to add detail with the movement of the story. But when is enough too much or too little? When one is so close to their own work, that may well take a second pair of eyes.

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I'll be looking for a trusted pair of those. After all, I'm not just writing for my own pleasure. I write to provoke thought and to show another possible way. And for that I need always think on how someone else sees the worlds I share and not allow them to grapple with my intent.

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Okay, that's it for this tip.

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Getting Organized for NaNo

Alright! I admit I hate the thought of having to write an outline. But I know it's part of the craft of writing. So. This week my goal is to outline Walks with the Moon. Even though I've got a fair idea of the storyline, and a substantial word count, there's a huge hole that needs to be filled.

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I've yet to fully develop my Antagonist. Oh. I know he gets shot. And I know who shoots him. Just last night I determined out how he figures in. But when and how he shows up, on the scene, I've not the first clue.

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Maybe it'll come to me during my attempt at an outline. Maybe he won't show up until a cold blustery day in November. Why is Mr. No Name the Antagonist? Well, one can't live his entire life being hunted and not be incensed at the hunter. There's a profile moment.

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As regards my Chronicles? This morning I pulled out all the hand-typed and hand-written notes for Book One of my FWCs: Caged Heart ~ The Last Heartbound. I used these files during NaNo2006. But. Somewhere amid those long-past days and nights a nagging concern arose. Something was missing. I knew there should be more files; with additional ideas for the storyline. Interviews and research. I took time, more than once, to scour through my file cabinets and drawers and found nothing to satisfy the angst.

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Not, at least, until one happy day earlier this year. During a purge of the studio closet [what am I never going to get to or use and can go out to the garage for a future garage sale], I pulled out a box that hadn't been opened in-- well, I don't know how many years. And right now I'm not even interested in being shocked by doing the Math. There were finger prints in the dust from this last move into the town home. And I know it hasn't been opened from the move before that.

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The problem is I thought I knew what I'd stored inside. I did not. When I found the files of the WIP I thought were in there [well after NaNo], the mystery deepened. But at some point I quite simply forgot about: The Box. In the meantime, I retrieved those newly-found files from their own years of darkness and worked on, Destiny's Heir, during WEB's J-WAT 2008. A few thousand words into the July word-a-thon, I determined this could indeed be a book worth further development. Well into the old hand-written notes, I found I had a very good plot line. I've since tried to get everything better sorted, labeled, and keyed into Word.

NOTE: Oh, how small my print was back then! I literally had to pull out my 3.75 mag. reading glasses to read fine print.

But! Back to: The Box. The day I removed it from the dark corner on the floor of the closet, my faith in the littlest of miracles was confirmed.

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With the girls busied elsewhere, and I at my best, I'd just settled in for a spring-clean molest, when out of the wardrobe dust rose with a flutter, I sprang with my Swiffer to clear up the matter, back to the mystery I returned like a flash, tore open the interlocked seal and threw up the flaps. Parts One, Two, and Three all laid nestled in a row, Oh my gosh! There they are! I cried to the objects below. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but no better RX to alleviate my fear.

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Yes. What was lost is now found. It now boils down to being better armed for NaNo'08; with one less thing to worry on hanging over my head. And for the record-- I look forward to rediscovering what all the fuss was about. .

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But! There's more to getting ready than the mere collecting of one's thoughts. There's laundry to get done and out of the way. Groceries to be bought so I don't waste away. Trash cans to empty and bills to pay. And come Friday there's a costume so as to go out and play.

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Oka-a-ay-- So I'm not truly able. But if I were! Though I gave in and gave up my size 12 jeans [a good year ago], and no corset in the world is going to make me look any less plump, I'd still like to go out representing one of Amy Brown's whimsical and sumptuous depictions of the Fae.

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I found her work a few years back and fell quite in love, hook-line-and-sinker, with her charming dragons. BUT, I digress!

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There is still my workspace that needs to be organized, along with noting what I need to make NaNo'08 as comfortable an experience as possible. In '06 my legs/ankles/feet swelled terribly. I do not want a repeat. While it means not falling off my prescription meds, taking frequent breaks and keeping my legs elevated, it includes a new heat pad for my chair as well. It's also time to pull out my winter socks, a lap throw, and all the accoutrements to keep said girls [my cats] happy throughout the process.

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Though I spent the better part of yesterday, as much as my body would allow, I worked on that How Would You Live, Quill of the Heart post. No. It's not uploaded yet. But, I don't intend on having that hanging over my head, next month either. So, I've a lot to do. That means I'm signing off for now.

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It's a Wrap!

What a week! Though the Muse Online Writers Conference is over and done with, I've kept busy with a few of the goals I established during organizational forums with Cheryl Malandrinos and Susanne Rose.

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One goal for this week was to enter TWRP's Mini Halloween Romance contest. My goal was to submit an excerpt of Walks with the Moon. A piece I titled: Undeclared Love. Earlier this week I reworked another scene to submit in its stead. Yesterday I submitted Surrender. The winner will be announced on October 31st. If I don't win, I'll post it here and give you a little taste of the storyline.

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Another goal between now and November first is to get everything organized for NaNoWriMo. To help with that I'm going to read through Devon Ellington's 30 Tips for 30 Days. [Look the link on the side bar~after Writing Tip of the Day] I've read through Part One ~ Preparation. I like the idea of a creativity alter, and have the perfect spot in the far corner of my studio. One tip served to remind me of the music and CDs that I need to get in order. It's not just notes and files. There's an atomsphere that needs to be set as well.

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I also need to get another update posted to my Quill of the Heart blog, i.e., How Would You Live. That's a goal I committed to accomplishing this week. But, I have several entries sitting either in the blogspot draft folder, or hibernating in a Word.doc file. Not doing a bit of good sitting in either place. I need to get them moving. That's a goal for next year; regular updates.

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Claudia Suzanne's Before Copyediting forum truly opened my eyes. I will never look at editing the same way again. Charting the structure of a piece, whether fiction or non-fiction, was new ground for me. Before I take on the next major editing session I need to switch over, completely, to left brain logic. Editing is not necessarily a right brain function. Her sessions gave new meaning to the old addage, 'put it away for a few days to a month and look at it with fresh eyes.'

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Devon Ellington's lessons in Dialogue were invaluable, and Lea Schzias Short Story forum -- well, though I got a considerable amount of work done on my Beginning, Middle, and Ending [for Walks with the Moon], let's just say I came away with only half a hook! Not her fault. I believe I struggle most with what not to relay. Needless to say--it's just one more writing goal for 2009. I was in and out of many more forums, all of which I will talk about at later dates. But-- I already registered for Muse 2009. Lots to do between now and then.

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Oh! Here's the banner I did for NaNoWriMo:

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That's it for now. More soon,

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A Must Read Draw

Writing Tip of the Day, August 9, 2008

Pour thoughtful work and energy into a "must-read"

title which draws readers (and editors).

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I love this tip!

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There's a little titty I want to update to Quill of the Heart, but I haven't worked out a better title than: The Power of that Little Button Labeled "Mute." Oooo! How about: The Power of Mute? Yes! I LIKE it. Look for the reasoning behind that revelation soon.

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In the meantime, though I equate this tip largely to Journalism and today's bloggers, I am likely to pass up what might be a good, or even great, informative read if the heading doesn't grab my attention. But, the right title can stir one's imagination and have the power to draw us into any given Chapter One or The Best Short Story You're Ever Likely to Read.

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There's an almost unexplainable satisfaction when those few select words come to the forefront and are ready to be delivered upon the masses. Is anyone curious enough to find out why I've recently considered the Mute button so important? Or, for that matter, the reason behind what drove me to write about it in the first place? Well, that's another post for another blog.

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The NaNoWriMo!

Because of all the pc troubles of 2007 I missed NaNoWriMo last year; due specifically to my monitor's decision (back in June) to give up its ghost. Only with the passage of time can I now say, fair enough! It had, after all, served me quite well. I cannot begrudge its passing. A time comes for all things. But! It's 2008 and I've a new monitor, not quite a year old, and I'm ready for this year's challenge. And, I'm not without a fair amount of storyline.

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The most horrendous loss of 2007, what with all the techno woes earlier in the year, I lost all that I keyed of book one, Caged Heart ~ The Last Heartbound. So. That is my focus in November. Re-entering all that hand-typed Forbidden World Chronicles text into Word, and hopefully along the way, I'll remember all those new scenes I'd formulated throughout NaNo2006. There's a post somewhere below where I uploaded the book jacket I created that year.

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During all those said woes I concede to being down; all physically, emotionally, and technologically speaking. But, I was most definitely not out. The Writing Exercise Board (WEB) posted a contest-- something about a thatched roof cottage, an old world garden gate, and time travel. Well, needless to say it missed the deadline. But! I drafted out a substantial amount of handwritten notes and viola? I had, Vortex. Another storyline I really like but tucked it away inside a folder because I'm a tad rather inexperienced as regards ancient Scottish history. Yes, that's where my character traveled back to, and where the present day lord of the manor (For Rent) disappeared. My remedy? There's a forum next week (for Muse2008) that I believe may help in quelling my fear.

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Then there's plenty of writing yet to do for Walks with the Moon. Especially since I'd like to see a completed first draft before the end of 2008. So, as long as my ailing body holds out, I'm at no loss for achieving 50K words in 30 days. But before all of this, there's that mountain of handouts to get through for next week's conference.

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All of this though, depends entirely on how my body holds out. And right now, I'm not long for this chair today. I need to take a break after spending all evening reading through and responding to message board threads in the Muse forums. It looks to be an exciting and wonderfully exhausting week. One that will more than likely have me on the couch in recovery mode the following week.

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Oh! There's also the fact I'm late getting out my Fall update for Pearls of Wisdom. I've promised Calendar of Events updates and need to do that before the end of this week. They're coming people! I promise.

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That's it for now.

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Gearing Up

I've been in recovery mode of recent; due to both my degenerating discs and fibromyalgia. Keeping frustration at bay is an ongoing battle. But enough of that. I don't want to give either condition anymore power over me than they already generate.

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This coming week I'm spending what time I am able to maintain on reading through the mountain of handouts I've downloaded for the upcoming 2008 Muse Online Writer's Conference.

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I've lost count of the number of online forums/workshops, and live Chats available. I signed up for more than I'll likely be able to handle, physically, but-- what with my sleep patterns all amuk, I do tend to have many up-all-night-into-the-wee-hour occasions to log in to any given forum and pick up on what I can.

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I hope to take advantage of Organize Your Writing Life (Cheryl Malandrinos), Query Letters! Editing them perfectly for a great first impression (Carolyn Howard-Johnson), Seek Your Bliss (Pat Harrington), Red Hot Internet Publicity (Penny Sansevieri), Wham, Bam, Thank You, Ma'am: Cutting to the Chase and Writing First Chapters That HOOK (Sara Reinke), What Aspiring Writers Need to Know (Marie Delgado Travis), A Blueprint for Your Creative Space through the Power of Feng Shui (Anna Maria Prezio), On Becoming a Professional Amateur (Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff), BEFORE COPY EDITING (Claudia Suzanne), along with a Dialogue Workshop (Devon Ellington), just to name a few.

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Several publishers and editors (e and POD) are also promised to be on hand, i.e., Niteblade Magazine (Rhonda Parrish), Double Dragon Publishing (Deron Douglas), and Red Rose Publishing (publisher & editors).

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There appears to be a fair amount of homework involved so I'm readying, Walks With the Moon, as regards dialog, plot, critique, and the like. Especially since I just fleshed out a new scene of dialog a few days ago, this would be my work of choice. It's going on 10K words and I want to see it through as I desperately want to get back to my Forbidden World Chronicles. (I'd post a link to the site, but ad banners are currently overriding access to my site. I have a trouble-shooting ticket in to Lycos.com Helpdesk, and hope to see this remedied soon.)

[LINK ADDED 10-6, PROBLIMO SOLVED. I'm leaving the parenthetical info in case
anyone experiences this. I know I didn't like seeing my site high-jacked!]

I also need to address the matter of getting my desk and workspace cleaned up and better organized. There are notebooks, questions, and homework in order.

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That's it for now. I'll let you know how the Conference progresses.

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Shooting for the Moon

Got Wolf?
Black Rose Writing Contest
If you've got a hot hero/heroine that also happens to

turn furry at least once a month,

then Black Rose is looking for your story.

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I bowed out of this initially; even while the makings of a storyline swirled and began to pique my interest. With much grace and honesty, though, I responded [to Faith's post] that I just didn't believe I could get that kind of word count to a presentable stage by August 30th. To which she promptly replied with a rudimentary 'thanks for stopping by' that left me properly dejected. I felt I'd just delivered an excuse she hadn't expected.

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That same day, I read the VW#7 Writing Life, post found at Paperback Writer. First off, I couldn't believe she wasn't talking directed to me [This I intend to make clearer in an upcoming post.]; and second, about midway through, I shamefully realized I'd quit before even starting. Yes! It stung. And after a much needed moment of reflection, I returned to the Writing Exercise Board to share my epiphany. Faith explained that a recent publishing contract came to her via a contest where, though she did not win, was invited to rework and submit it again. I appreciated her confidence and direction and didn't want to dissappoint her. So, I sucked it up and went for it.

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Enter Conall Rheese Fergus and Sophie Lahey, in the work titled: Walks With The Moon. The story just poured out, and I discovered Conall's grandfather, Calvin. I had Radio Rivendell playing in the background, but foucsed on Loreena McKinnett for certain scenes. For one toward the end I had Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata set to play in a loop.

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And no. My entry did not make the August 30 deadline. I got stuck on a plot point and simply couldn't figure it out in time. I also failed to include another pertinent contest rule: "All stories must have at least one HOT consummated love scene..." Fair enough. It was, after all, an exercise in Romance.

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Unfortunately, [though not intentionally] I skipped out on that one lock, stock and barrel. Because of how one of my rules played out there wasn't going to be a consummation. This and any emotion of love has been long repressed. And since my revisit of said contest rules happened at the eleventh hour, I had no time for the rewrite of such an integral point in the story. Sorry Faith! I had hoped to make you proud.

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But. I'm rather heavily invested in this piece now and want to see it through. I really like the characters and one particular twist I'm sure will surprise a few readers. Potential though they may be. So, since I registered for the 2008 Muse Online Writer's Confernence, I'm shooting for October in hopes of having something ready to submit.

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That's it for now.

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2008 Muse Online Writer's Conference

This is going to be a quick update.

Life has a way of interrupting one's best intentions. I've missed posting here and hope to do a better job of keeping up with things. BUT! Yesterday's visit to the Writing Exercise Board, provided me with some inspiration come October.

Along with a comprehensive list of online writing classes, of which I hope to take advantage of one day soon, I found the following conference in a subsequent reply post.

I registered this morning. You can look for me there.

I'm also working on a story tentatively titled: Walks With The Moon. It's a contest entry. This one's for you, Faith, and that fast-approaching August 30th, deadline. I was kind of dead in the water for a few days, trying to figure out the overall storyline. I think I've got it now!

And-- I need also mention Interviewing Authors's interview with Devon Ellington. This particular interview was also a contest to win a CD copy of Devon's new release Hex Breaker. As of today I've not found it in the mailbox--[Carly Simon & An-ti-ci-pa-tion!]--but am looking forward to a most interesting read. There's an eclectic cast of characters, and I'm rather interested in seeing how they all interconnect. Thank you, again, for the winning copy! My first website contest win.

More soon!

Back Into The Swing