Friday, September 18, 2009

Today's Mood: Tired. Today's Music: Jazz--thanks to Mike S. Today's Writing: IFFY. Today's Quote:

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I've managed to get up at 5:30 in order to write every morning. Now I just wish I had more to show for it! It's driving me crazy; I'm so overthinking things, but I don't know how to stop. My poor characters are dang sick of hanging out in the parking lot, but I just can't seem to get them to go in. They're going to be late to class--serves them right for being contrary.

Doesn't help that my brain is shifting through way too much crap. Start of school is always cluttered up with open houses and stuff that isn't working, problems that need solving yesterday, and tired kids. Oh yeah, and tired me too. Really tired. Deep down, disintegrate my bones tired. Snap at the kids when I have to tell them to do something 5 times--oh wait, I do that normally. Anyway, I'm tired.

End of next week I head up to Glen Lake to write. Glorious wonderful days of writing. Granted I might have to kill off a few characters if they don't manage to head into the building, but at least I get to spend more than 1/2 hour at a time, coaxing them along.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

So that was a month ago, and I never managed to get back to finish it until now. How sad is that? I did get my characters out of the parking lot (yea!), although now they seem to be stuck in the stairwell. Still overthinking things.

The SCBWI conference was ... awesome, tiring, fun, helpful, inspiring... It is so different than PW. Much, MUCH more focused on getting published. I think it's really good to have both. I'd certainly get depressed if I didn't have PW to help balance out, help remind me of why I like to write--and it isn't because of publishing.

Very interesting critique I had with an agent. She talked about what the first page/chapter promised and how it seemed different than what the synopsis said the book was going to be about. Then We had another speaker who talked about the promise of the first few pages. Every book, every bit of writing really, makes a promise to the reader. As writers, we need to be aware of what promise is being made, and be sure that what follows fulfills that promise.

So I'm revising Black Dragon again. Not huge things, but first chapter things. Promises made.

Hope that all you out there reading this (or not) are writing. Comment if you get a chance. Tell me to do a better job posting on this blog. I will definitely try. Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough time/energy/motivation in the day.

2 comments:

outdoorwriter said...

Sarah;

Great to have you back!! I really, really, really miss your blog. I appreciate your taking the time.

I'm working on a couple of things and need to get hustling if I want to make this months deadline. One piece is about muskrat houses and how they say all is right with the world. A simple thing really, but as dependable as the sun rising. Come fall, muskrats build houses.

The other is a habitat piece. I think I've reached the age where the habitat work is more rewarding than the hunting. I'm cutting trees along the edge of the woods to make a transition zone from the woods to an earlier succession of black raspberry canes, weeds and grass. The diversity along edges is amazing; catbrier--the only plant that has both spines and tendrils--gooseberries, spicebush, and grape tangles to name a few. Next summer, bergemot will erupt in its new-found sunlight. In a few places, bittersweet hangs like clusters of grapes just waiting to explode and show their namesake colors. It's a great place for a dreamer to let his mind wander. I found a salamander a couple days ago. It excited me as much as it did when I was a kid, and at heart I guess I still am.

I found a great Thereau quote that summs up my philosophy: "The man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest." I am a Midas.

smcelrath said...

Larry, you are awesome! What a great quote. And what an inspiration to me--writing, and always seeing things and thinking about how you can bring them to others.

We have a muskrat living in the ditch in front of our house. Yesterday my youngest got within five feet of it. I never knew they could jump and run so fast!

Writing has been a bit frustrating for me this year--mostly because of a lot more stress and business at work. I have a hard time quieting my mind within the time span I have. Still, I manage to grind out a few lines a day--and sometimes a whole paragraph or two.

I think maybe a mental health day is coming soon....