There are some days I just don't want to write. Days when the very idea of sitting down in front of my computer and tap-tap-tapping on the key to form even one sentence is the very last thing I want to do. I've felt this way for the past week or so. It's not that I haven't been excited about the book.
Nope. My head is full of scenes, and I can describe my hero right on down to the scar on his... well. Never mind. You'll need to read to find that out. Sometimes I think I can even hear the voice of my heroine, although I'm wondering how upper-class British a woman who's been in St. John's for most of her life during the the first decades of the 1800s would sound. There'd likely be a large mix of Irish and lower-class British dialects tossed around in her world. But I suspect she had a very strict and proper governess. Her father likely wouldn't have sacrificed that. Regardless, I've been thinking about the book. I just haven't done anything to get it down on paper.
If I wanted to come up with excuses, I certainly could. But the real reason is sheer burn-out. The past few weeks at work have been exciting, lots of new projects on the go, quick deadlines, high expectations, etc. And since the majority of what I do at work is write, you can see why writing more at home hasn't really been tops on my list.
But then yesterday morning (Friday) I walked into the sun-lit kitchen. The combination of the bright sun, amplified by the snow, and the welcoming sight of a tidy dining room table, made me want to call in sick and plop myself down at the table and just write away. Of course, I didn't. I went to work. But I spent all day wishing I was at that table writing. Last night I sent myself to bed early just so I could have a chance at wanting to wake this morning. And here I am.
And you know what? The sun is just as bright. The table looks just as inviting. And I feel a scene or two coming on. What do you know. It's time to write again.
I really am a get up in the morning and write kind of writer, which is surprising since I'm a notorious non-morning person. When I was at Kilmory at the writing retreat back in October it was the same thing. I'd wake up, make coffee, and go for a walk. In the sun. In the drizzle. In the pouring rain. Didn't matter. A quick little jaunt through the woods, and I was ready to go.
The separation between the real world and the writing world also helped, and I think I might need to escape for a bit once I really get into the meat of this book. Of course, we're planning a trip to England very soon, but that's fact finding. I'll likely write (and I'll blog, of course) while there, but I think by the summer I'll be taking weekends and hiding in whatever cabin I can manage to borrow. I'm lucky between my parents, my in-laws and my aunt, there are three.
So now I'm off to grab a coffee, and a bagel, and see what happens next.
And sorry for the 11 day blog break. I won't let it go this long again.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Seven novel accomplishments on Saturday
A.K.A : I may not have written the chapter (or even a paragraph) but Saturday was still a good day for the novel
1. I now have two family trees for the main characters.
You may wonder why it's important that I know that the heroine's grandmother was born in 1741? After all, there was a lot of "if this character had that character when she was 18 then that character was born in 17XX" going on during this process. But this really helped me figure out who's who, and why they're relevant in the story.
2. I found maps of Somerset for the time period I'm writing about
Now I know where they live, and how far apart the two family homes are from each other. Sure, these homes are fictional, but they're near real places.
3. I know how long it takes to get from one house to another on horseback, and in a Phaeton.
You see, I should know how they get back and forth, and just how much of a jaunt it is. I should add it took considerable time to decide on which type of carriage best suited my character.
4. I know a great website for village inn's in England
Ok. I admit it. This has nothing directly to do with the novel. But it's essential for hubby and I for when we go to England this spring. For research. So a novel accomplishment it shall be.
5. I'm pretty sure I know enough about dying of syphilis.
When you read the book, you'll know why this matters. And no. This is not a spoiler.
6. My heroine's brother has a name, and I now like him
Again, important, since in the beginning, I wasn't sure how I was going to make him. But he's an alright fella, once you get to know him.
7. I almost have a song for a critical part of the book decided on
Yes, this sounds like I'm stretching for accomplishments just so this list could be about 7 accomplishments instead of 6, but really, I've been obsessing about this since August. Seriously. And now I think I almost have it decided. Big step.
So there you have it. I didn't write a word for the book, and yet managed to write pages of backstory, build some pretty charts, and in general, figure out some things. Because writing a novel isn't just about writing the book. There's a whole lot of thinking, and rethinking, and figuring stuff out. And that was Saturday. All in all, a decent day. This Saturday I'm getting my done, but other than that, no plans other than to soldier on.
1. I now have two family trees for the main characters.
You may wonder why it's important that I know that the heroine's grandmother was born in 1741? After all, there was a lot of "if this character had that character when she was 18 then that character was born in 17XX" going on during this process. But this really helped me figure out who's who, and why they're relevant in the story.
2. I found maps of Somerset for the time period I'm writing about
Now I know where they live, and how far apart the two family homes are from each other. Sure, these homes are fictional, but they're near real places.
3. I know how long it takes to get from one house to another on horseback, and in a Phaeton.
You see, I should know how they get back and forth, and just how much of a jaunt it is. I should add it took considerable time to decide on which type of carriage best suited my character.
4. I know a great website for village inn's in England
Ok. I admit it. This has nothing directly to do with the novel. But it's essential for hubby and I for when we go to England this spring. For research. So a novel accomplishment it shall be.
5. I'm pretty sure I know enough about dying of syphilis.
When you read the book, you'll know why this matters. And no. This is not a spoiler.
6. My heroine's brother has a name, and I now like him
Again, important, since in the beginning, I wasn't sure how I was going to make him. But he's an alright fella, once you get to know him.
7. I almost have a song for a critical part of the book decided on
Yes, this sounds like I'm stretching for accomplishments just so this list could be about 7 accomplishments instead of 6, but really, I've been obsessing about this since August. Seriously. And now I think I almost have it decided. Big step.
So there you have it. I didn't write a word for the book, and yet managed to write pages of backstory, build some pretty charts, and in general, figure out some things. Because writing a novel isn't just about writing the book. There's a whole lot of thinking, and rethinking, and figuring stuff out. And that was Saturday. All in all, a decent day. This Saturday I'm getting my done, but other than that, no plans other than to soldier on.
Friday, January 28, 2011
No blog, no progress
Welcome to Exhibit A on why I need a blog to keep me on track. Then again, I clearly need a swift poke in the rump to keep me on top of the blog. Sorry all! What can I say. The week just took over.
Where to begin?
Ah, yes. Late last Friday night I somewhat deliriously, and jubilantly, wrote of my great progress. Almost two whole chapters. And then what followed? Nuthin. Here's a breakdown of my less than productive writing week.
Saturday was spent socializing, and movie going. Went to a Pampered Chef party at noon where I filled cream puffs to an explosive capacity, and then off to the hubby's aunt's b-day party where more feasting ensued. In case you don't know, writing in a mad flurry and then crashing late at night leaves one feeling something the next day akin to a hang-over, minus the icky mouth and churning stomach. Or the desire to toss out every stain of booze in your house. No, it's like a hangover in the way you keep thinking that eating everything in sight will make you feel better. "Why, yes, I think you're right. Those onion rings are just the thing to make me feel ok." Also, I felt that nagging sense of willingness to nap anywhere I might not be noticed.
Still, I'm a trooper, which is when instead of going home when we left the party, I thought going to a movie was a better idea. The early show was sold out, so we opted for the late show. After all, there's lots to do in a mall for two hours. 10 minutes after that statement we ran into my parents, convinced them to come to the movie as well, and spent the better part of two hours bored out of our skulls. A movie was really no better. "No Strings Attached", a supposed romantic comedy, but with all the sexual inuendo, I found myself whispering to hubby not too long after "Why am I sitting next to my dad?!" Still, not my most uncomfortable movie watching experience with a family member. There's a toss up between Monster's Ball with my Nan, and Basic Instinct with Dad. Bad moments in history best forgotten. If only...
So with Saturday a wash, Sunday was bound to be better. But it wasn't. We spent the day curled up on the sofa watching episode after episode of Ballykissangel. I hate spoilers, so I won't tell you what had me sobbing, but it was a bad afternoon mid-way through.
Monday, sick. Didn't go to work, didn't budge from bed unless I had to.
Tuesday, gym. Started Results 3-2-1, which is three minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs on repeat until the body wants to kill me.
Wednesday, too sore to move.
Thursday, ugh. Let's not even go there.
And now, Friday. I'm writing this, and hubby is getting cleaned up so we can go hang out with friends.
But don't despair. I have a goal for tomorrow. And so far, when I make a promise here, it gets kept. It's when I avoid blogging, ergo avoid setting goals that you expect me to keep, that things go by the way side.
Tomorrow's goal. A chapter. That's right. Another full chapter. Because if I can write one in a night, imagine what I can do with an entire Saturday. Stay tuned friends. Let's see if I pull it off.
Where to begin?
Ah, yes. Late last Friday night I somewhat deliriously, and jubilantly, wrote of my great progress. Almost two whole chapters. And then what followed? Nuthin. Here's a breakdown of my less than productive writing week.
Saturday was spent socializing, and movie going. Went to a Pampered Chef party at noon where I filled cream puffs to an explosive capacity, and then off to the hubby's aunt's b-day party where more feasting ensued. In case you don't know, writing in a mad flurry and then crashing late at night leaves one feeling something the next day akin to a hang-over, minus the icky mouth and churning stomach. Or the desire to toss out every stain of booze in your house. No, it's like a hangover in the way you keep thinking that eating everything in sight will make you feel better. "Why, yes, I think you're right. Those onion rings are just the thing to make me feel ok." Also, I felt that nagging sense of willingness to nap anywhere I might not be noticed.
Still, I'm a trooper, which is when instead of going home when we left the party, I thought going to a movie was a better idea. The early show was sold out, so we opted for the late show. After all, there's lots to do in a mall for two hours. 10 minutes after that statement we ran into my parents, convinced them to come to the movie as well, and spent the better part of two hours bored out of our skulls. A movie was really no better. "No Strings Attached", a supposed romantic comedy, but with all the sexual inuendo, I found myself whispering to hubby not too long after "Why am I sitting next to my dad?!" Still, not my most uncomfortable movie watching experience with a family member. There's a toss up between Monster's Ball with my Nan, and Basic Instinct with Dad. Bad moments in history best forgotten. If only...
So with Saturday a wash, Sunday was bound to be better. But it wasn't. We spent the day curled up on the sofa watching episode after episode of Ballykissangel. I hate spoilers, so I won't tell you what had me sobbing, but it was a bad afternoon mid-way through.
Monday, sick. Didn't go to work, didn't budge from bed unless I had to.
Tuesday, gym. Started Results 3-2-1, which is three minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs on repeat until the body wants to kill me.
Wednesday, too sore to move.
Thursday, ugh. Let's not even go there.
And now, Friday. I'm writing this, and hubby is getting cleaned up so we can go hang out with friends.
But don't despair. I have a goal for tomorrow. And so far, when I make a promise here, it gets kept. It's when I avoid blogging, ergo avoid setting goals that you expect me to keep, that things go by the way side.
Tomorrow's goal. A chapter. That's right. Another full chapter. Because if I can write one in a night, imagine what I can do with an entire Saturday. Stay tuned friends. Let's see if I pull it off.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Progress!
In case you can't see the time stamp, I'm writing this at 2:06 AM in that netherworld between Friday and Saturday. Since my eyes seem to want to shut of their own accord, I thought I'd write just a quick little note in the hopes of preventing people from calling me at 8 AM to see if I'm up and writing. Because chances are, I'll still be sound asleep.
However, I'm going to bed on a good note. Since my last post I've written nearly two chapters. I'd call it two but me thinks come the morning I'll look at it and realize there's more to be said. I'm hoping to write more tomorrow, but have several places I'm committed to dropping in for a visit, so the next writing likely won't happen till sometime tomorrow evening. And in case you're wondering how many pages are a chapter and a bit, the answer is 15. So that means I've completely passed the goal for the weekend. I'll think of a new one tomorrow.
Now to go join the husband and cats, who have long gone to bed.
Oh, and the secret to writing is apparently keeping me fueled by guacamole.
G'night all.
However, I'm going to bed on a good note. Since my last post I've written nearly two chapters. I'd call it two but me thinks come the morning I'll look at it and realize there's more to be said. I'm hoping to write more tomorrow, but have several places I'm committed to dropping in for a visit, so the next writing likely won't happen till sometime tomorrow evening. And in case you're wondering how many pages are a chapter and a bit, the answer is 15. So that means I've completely passed the goal for the weekend. I'll think of a new one tomorrow.
Now to go join the husband and cats, who have long gone to bed.
Oh, and the secret to writing is apparently keeping me fueled by guacamole.
G'night all.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A kick in the pants
So. Today I received perhaps the swiftest kick in the pants I could ever think to get. Let me set the stage. I'd just come back to work from having lunch with Mom, Dad and my sister. The last words Dad spoke were, "Go do some writing tonight." To which my mother replied, "She's helping plan our cruise tonight." Now, God love Dad, but he doesn't really have the clout to give me a proper kick into high gear. But someone does. I'm leading up to who.
Anyway, I head back to work ready for a nice dose of afternoon lethargy thanks to the hot turkey sandwich I had for lunch. I settle into my chair, grab the iPad and start skimming through emails. It's a nice easy way to ease back into work. But you know when you have this moment where something jumps off the page at you, leaves you gob-smacked? That's what happened when I saw Suzanne Enoch's name in my in-box. Yes. The Suzanne Enoch I mentioned in my first post who I blamed for my December procrastination since I spent more time reading her novels than working on mine. (If you're looking to read something while you settle into the long haul of waiting for something to read from me, I recommend A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior. One of my favourites. My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. Loved it!)
She read the blog, left me a lovely comment and more importantly, gave me, likely unbeknownst to her, my goal for the weekend. 5 pages a day. Which, for Saturday and Sunday, will be 10 pages for the weekend. An ambitious goal, but achievable, I think. If I can follow the advice that seems so prevalent from other authors... Get your butt in the chair.
So now that I have the goal, and am fueled by that kind comment, I'm going to set off to accomplish it. Who knows. The way I'm feeling at this moment, I just might get some writing in tonight. Or at least some thinking.
I have a feeling this is going to be the year I finally do it. And it's in no small part thanks to the support I'm getting from everyone who's reading this blog. Thanks for your time. I really appreciate it.
Oh, and if you're wondering which parent I obeyed tonight, let me say that Mom and Dad have a lovely cruise planned to the Eastern Caribbean. But it's only 9:30. I can still listen to my Dad. I know he's reading, so I'd better.
Anyway, I head back to work ready for a nice dose of afternoon lethargy thanks to the hot turkey sandwich I had for lunch. I settle into my chair, grab the iPad and start skimming through emails. It's a nice easy way to ease back into work. But you know when you have this moment where something jumps off the page at you, leaves you gob-smacked? That's what happened when I saw Suzanne Enoch's name in my in-box. Yes. The Suzanne Enoch I mentioned in my first post who I blamed for my December procrastination since I spent more time reading her novels than working on mine. (If you're looking to read something while you settle into the long haul of waiting for something to read from me, I recommend A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior. One of my favourites. My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. Loved it!)
She read the blog, left me a lovely comment and more importantly, gave me, likely unbeknownst to her, my goal for the weekend. 5 pages a day. Which, for Saturday and Sunday, will be 10 pages for the weekend. An ambitious goal, but achievable, I think. If I can follow the advice that seems so prevalent from other authors... Get your butt in the chair.
So now that I have the goal, and am fueled by that kind comment, I'm going to set off to accomplish it. Who knows. The way I'm feeling at this moment, I just might get some writing in tonight. Or at least some thinking.
I have a feeling this is going to be the year I finally do it. And it's in no small part thanks to the support I'm getting from everyone who's reading this blog. Thanks for your time. I really appreciate it.
Oh, and if you're wondering which parent I obeyed tonight, let me say that Mom and Dad have a lovely cruise planned to the Eastern Caribbean. But it's only 9:30. I can still listen to my Dad. I know he's reading, so I'd better.
Monday, January 17, 2011
How should I measure success?
So, to add to my ever growing iPad addiction, I've found a blogging app. Since I'm writing this post at work, I thought I'd use it instead of my work computer. The danger in this approach is that I've discovered that the iPad likes to think it can read my mind and arbitrarily changes words for me. That might be why I emailed a co-worker last week and told here I was ready to talk about snakes when she was fresh. I meant sales when she was free. Anyhow...
It may be early to make this claim but to date the blog is a success. At least if my measure of success is the number of phone calls/messages I'm getting from people checking in to make sure I'm sticking to my goals. Both my aunt and sister-in-law seem determined to keep me on my toes. Thanks! I'm not complaining. If the measure of success to date is if I've accomplished what I've set out to do, then I'm currently at 50%.
Saturday, as I noted, was a bust (in more ways than one since I did go bra shopping on Saturday). But Sunday proved much more fruitful. In the long run. Because here's what happened 20 seconds after I posted yesterday morning. The borrowed dog started barking.
You can't want to go out again, I said to the dog. We just came in.
Woof.
Seriously, I have writing to do. Go lie down.
Woof woof. (followed by a spasmodic circular dance by the door)
Shush. Don't wake Reg.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
So out we went where it turned out she really did have to go out. Really. Really. Go.
Once we'd walked far enough that mom and dad's house was closer than ours,we kept going. Returning the dog turned into coffee and play with my nephew which turned into pancakes which turned into "Dad! It's nearly 11. Please drive me home!"
Now in days of old I would have let this stop me. But not now. Because I'd wasted Saturday, Sunday had to amount to something. I sent the hubby upstairs with firm instructions not to come down until I said so. He's very obliging, maybe because he's under the delusion that I'm going to make enough money so that he won't have to work again. Silly man.
Anyway, I sat there thinking about what to write. Jump into a new chapter? Work on the outline? Or just let the fingers do my thinking and see what happens. I don't often take this approach because it can be risky. I did that once on a short story that was supposed to be about the worry of a woman whose husband was lost at sea, and it turned into a story about werewolves!
But yesterday it worked. I turned on my fancy Jane Austen font (it's hard to read but helps get me in the right frame of mind) and started thinking like my male lead. Two and a half pages later I'd met my goal, figured out a critical part of the backstory and gotten a better understanding of one secondary character. Success!
Since I'm a weekend writer, there likely won't be any more goals made till later this week. Sadly, my weeks are full of work writing and my brain hurts too much to think about the novel once I get home. But stay turned for next weekend. After all, an online fortune cookie generator just told me: you are given the chance to take part in an exciting adventure.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It may be early to make this claim but to date the blog is a success. At least if my measure of success is the number of phone calls/messages I'm getting from people checking in to make sure I'm sticking to my goals. Both my aunt and sister-in-law seem determined to keep me on my toes. Thanks! I'm not complaining. If the measure of success to date is if I've accomplished what I've set out to do, then I'm currently at 50%.
Saturday, as I noted, was a bust (in more ways than one since I did go bra shopping on Saturday). But Sunday proved much more fruitful. In the long run. Because here's what happened 20 seconds after I posted yesterday morning. The borrowed dog started barking.
You can't want to go out again, I said to the dog. We just came in.
Woof.
Seriously, I have writing to do. Go lie down.
Woof woof. (followed by a spasmodic circular dance by the door)
Shush. Don't wake Reg.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
So out we went where it turned out she really did have to go out. Really. Really. Go.
Once we'd walked far enough that mom and dad's house was closer than ours,we kept going. Returning the dog turned into coffee and play with my nephew which turned into pancakes which turned into "Dad! It's nearly 11. Please drive me home!"
Now in days of old I would have let this stop me. But not now. Because I'd wasted Saturday, Sunday had to amount to something. I sent the hubby upstairs with firm instructions not to come down until I said so. He's very obliging, maybe because he's under the delusion that I'm going to make enough money so that he won't have to work again. Silly man.
Anyway, I sat there thinking about what to write. Jump into a new chapter? Work on the outline? Or just let the fingers do my thinking and see what happens. I don't often take this approach because it can be risky. I did that once on a short story that was supposed to be about the worry of a woman whose husband was lost at sea, and it turned into a story about werewolves!
But yesterday it worked. I turned on my fancy Jane Austen font (it's hard to read but helps get me in the right frame of mind) and started thinking like my male lead. Two and a half pages later I'd met my goal, figured out a critical part of the backstory and gotten a better understanding of one secondary character. Success!
Since I'm a weekend writer, there likely won't be any more goals made till later this week. Sadly, my weeks are full of work writing and my brain hurts too much to think about the novel once I get home. But stay turned for next weekend. After all, an online fortune cookie generator just told me: you are given the chance to take part in an exciting adventure.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Momentum: Take two
Well. You know what they say about Rome not getting built in a day. That's the summation for yesterday. Failed promise one. Didn't get up before 8. In fact, woke up at quarter to 10 when Mom called to invite me for breakfast. Still, I held off on the post because I thought, I'll keep promise two, which was to work on the book for at least two hours. Also a big no. Still, let's accentuate the positive here. It's Sunday morning, it's currently 7:55 AM, I've walked the dog (We don't have a dog, but sometimes my parent's dog comes for a sleep-over. She gets to curl up in bed with us and go for walks so she likes us better - Sorry Dad!) and am keeping this post short so I can get to work. A lengthier, update post on today's progress later.
Goal of the morning
Write at least two good pages. I could spend two hours working on this book and do nothing more than research, and trust me when I say that researching things isn't my issue - I'm a hairs-breath from a MA in History (again, finishing the thesis proved the downfall... more on that in the future)
Shoutouts
You have no idea how thrilled I was to see so many comments both here and on Facebook. Some retweets on Twitter would be sweet, and I say that only because I'm more of a twitter addict than a facebook addict. Regardless, seeing just about the whole Udle clan comment kinda hurt my heart - in a good way. Thanks. Miss you all. And to Kathy, who called yesterday to check in on my progress, thanks. :) If you call this morning you'll really find me hard at work.
With that said, I'm off to accomplish something - besides making coffee, which I also need to do ASAP. This is not a decaf morning.
Goal of the morning
Write at least two good pages. I could spend two hours working on this book and do nothing more than research, and trust me when I say that researching things isn't my issue - I'm a hairs-breath from a MA in History (again, finishing the thesis proved the downfall... more on that in the future)
Shoutouts
You have no idea how thrilled I was to see so many comments both here and on Facebook. Some retweets on Twitter would be sweet, and I say that only because I'm more of a twitter addict than a facebook addict. Regardless, seeing just about the whole Udle clan comment kinda hurt my heart - in a good way. Thanks. Miss you all. And to Kathy, who called yesterday to check in on my progress, thanks. :) If you call this morning you'll really find me hard at work.
With that said, I'm off to accomplish something - besides making coffee, which I also need to do ASAP. This is not a decaf morning.
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