Finding The Time

Just as the title says, it's sometimes hard to find the time to write. Whether it's a blog post or my current WIP, it's such a pain for me some days. I've gotten the advice (multiple times) to set aside a time every day to write. Fifteen minutes, an hour, three hours, it doesn't matter what the limit. For some reason I can't bring myself to stick to this when I try.

I'm a fairly organized person so I like to have a schedule throughout the day to keep me on top of things. For the most part it works. I stick to my list, I manage to complete my tasks. EXCEPT when it comes to my writing.

Why is that? I'm not completely sure, but I think at present my biggest problem is that I'm just not into my current book the way I was when I started it a few weeks ago.

Oh no, here we go again. Unfortunately, that happens to me a lot. I try to stick with it, but it's just not flowing for me. Ok, time to put it away. Maybe only for a little while, maybe forever. Who knows?

I think a lot of writers run into this problem, though some don't like to admit it. It's not about dedication to what you want to achieve in life. It's more about feeling like this...Why would anyone else be interested in my story when I can't even be interested in it?

Writing prompts and exercises can sometimes help get me back in the groove, but not always. Sometimes we just need a little break. But taking a break isn't always a good thing. Let's say you walk away from your WIP because you're just not feeling it. It's good to get some distance sometimes. What happens when you come back to it and realize you don't really want to write this particular story anymore? No big deal because there's always another idea out there waiting for you to put your twist and own personal flavor on it.

Maybe the breaks really are a good thing. Maybe they tell you that no matter how good you thought the story was when you started out, it wasn't all that great really. Maybe there's another one you realized you'd like to tell more. Or maybe you just realize that writing isn't going to be your calling in life.

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I refuse to believe it. Because even if I don't create a work that perhaps someone else will one day love, I know I'm doing something that I love. So what if I'm never published. Pfft, who needs that anyway. The way I see it, if it makes me happy, I'm going to do it. Regardless of whether or not I finish a book, I will continue to write until I can't do it anymore.

It's what makes me happy, so why not?!?!

So, here's my suggestion. If you can't find the time to open up your computer file and write every day, or week, or whatever, at least do yourself a favor and jot your ideas down on the fly. In a notebook, on your phone, wherever is convenient for you to do so. Don't let them slip away into the abyss, because some day you may just end up regretting it.

Where Did My Words Go?

Sad fact: Sometimes articulating the thoughts in my head is easier said than done. I know what I mean to say, but when I try to put them down on paper, or computer, or in everyday conversation, they don't come out as well as I'd hoped.

Take for instance some of my blog posts. I have this idea in my head, but by the time I've published it, it's not really what I initially expected it to be. There's lots of words to be sure. Are they putting the message I want to convey out there? Hardly. Or at least it's not happening quite the way I wanted it to...or thought it would. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure. But it sometimes feels like I start out with a specific intention and end up making the post something else.

This can also extend to my writing at times. Generally I have the feeling that the book is writing itself through me and I don't run into this problem (except for when it comes to "show vs. tell"). It's when I try to force the writing that I bump into the problem of being able to get my descriptions, dialogue, etc. across. What to do then? Stop...just stop. Go on to something else. Maybe another writing project, maybe go read for a little while. Just step away from it and come back to it when my fingers aren't trying to override the voices of my characters screaming in my head.

I have one book that I haven't touched in over a year because it no longer feels like it's being written through me. I think I've given that one up as a bad job, but you never know. I may come back to it in the future.

Another problem: You ever get this story idea that you think just totally kicks ass, get partway through it, then realize you just don't have anything else? That's happened to me countless times. I think there's something around twenty or so books on my computer and/or USB that I don't think I'll ever touch again. Regardless of how good I thought the story was when I started out, it turned to nothing more than just a few ideas or specific pieces of dialogue. You can't make a novel out of something if you can't really see where it's going...or where it's been. I can't anyway, maybe someone else can.

I have begun a few stories of mine from just bits and pieces of dialogue, or a particular scene that I couldn't get out my head, and in these cases most have worked out well and become finished works........but not all of them. I think the main reason it doesn't work out so well is because in some of these I am not as attached to my MC as I am with others. I like the idea of their story, but I can't bring myself to really delve into it the way I think a writer should. If I can't go there, what makes me think anyone will be able to?

There are a lot of writers out there who will agree with me and a lot that won't. Everyone has their own style and methods when they are trying to compose a novel. For this girl at least, one thing is certain...if I have to force it, I must walk away from it. At least for a little while.

The Number 13

January 2013 Blog Chain

The Number 13

Here we go in 2013, starting the Blog Chain from Absolute Write off with a bang! As you will see some of those participating in this month's Blog Chain have written stories that revolve around the number 13, but I can't do that. As I said before, and will undoubtedly say again, I don't do well with short stories in a short amount of time. I ramble far too much for any coherence in that regard and nothing I could produce on the subject would even constitute a short story. So instead, I give you what I can do...

The number 13 doesn't hold much significance for me really. It happens to be half of what my birth date is, and the birthday of one of my favorite cousins, but not much else comes to mind when I think of 13...other than the fact that it creeps me out. The number is just wrong somehow. So let us explore this mystery. After some time thinking about it and doing a little work on my phone browser, this is what I have for you to enjoy. (And yes, I did go to the almighty Google gods for some of my inspiration on this one, forgive me.)

• I'm thinking first off, for no reason I can explain, what it would be like to have 13 kids. That's a lot of mouths to feed!
• Why aren't there 13 months in a year and only 12?
• Why don't humans have 13 fingers and toes instead of 10?
• Why had I never heard of Triskaidekaphobia (hope I spelled that right) until this month's prompt came up? (I honestly didn't know people had an actual fear of the number 13 and the fear was given a clinical name.) This caused me to do a little research on the subject because I find tidbits like this interesting. Apparently some believe the number is bad luck (not that I disagree on that point) and avoid anything to do with the number 13 whenever possible. Interesting. Even some buildings and larger hotels will go out of their way to not label the 13th floor as such. Even more interesting.
• Ok here's an obvious one I should have thought of right away, Friday the 13th. Perhaps, some will say, the unluckiest day of all.
• In some countries 13 is a lucky number.
• People have a 13 tattooed on themselves to represent good luck.
• 13 stripes on the American flag (another one I should have thought of right away).
• Apollo 13 of course, who could forget that?
• If memory serves, 13 is when Jewish boys have their Bar Mitzvah.
• The 2001 version of Thirteen Ghosts (didn't know there was one made in 1960, thank you Google).
• In the span of 100 years we will have 13 full moons (for some reason this also creeps me out).
• The number of Cylon models in Battlestar Galactica......oh wait, there's only 12. 

That's just my little list of interesting bits I've found on the number 13. I did enjoy some of the information I found when looking around to see how people treat the number 13 in regards to good/bad luck. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like the number 13......even though I can't truly explain my reason other than the one given above, it's just wrong somehow. However, I don't go out of my way on Friday the 13th to avoid a black cat that might possibly cross my path, or walking under ladders, or anything like that. I don't think bad things happen on that day in particular just because of the date, bad things happen every day. That's just my opinion. I'm sure bad things occur for some folks on those days and it feels like the worst omen in the world though.

There are a lot of interesting facts about the number 13, these are merely the ones I enjoyed the most, and the ones I was most curious about. On that note, happy 2013 everyone and may it be a good one for you.

EDIT: 1/22/2013 updated participant links Participants and posts:
orion_mk3 - http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
SRHowen - http://srhowen1.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
areteus - http://lurkingmusings.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
Amanda R. - http://www.twoamericansinchina.com/ (link to post)
randi.lee - http://emotionalnovel.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
ConnieBDowell - http://bookechoes.com/ (link to post)
writingismypassion - http://charityfaye.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
Araevno - http://www.simonpclark.com/ (link to post)
Kewii - http://kellyneeson.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
katci13 - http://www.krystalsquared.net/ (link to post)
MsLaylaCakes - http://www.taraquan.com/ (link to post)

Beware, The Thesaurus Has Taken Over!

One of my biggest pet peeves when I read is feeling like the author has supplanted a dictionary or thesaurus into their book. I don't mind vivid description, please don't take my meaning here wrong, but I do mind when I read something that makes me feel like Webster wrote half the book.

I don't mean I need something "dumbed down" for me. I'm a fairly intelligent person. I just don't like the feeling sometimes that some people write using words they wouldn't normally use in normal conversation.

There are some exceptions to this. If an author is writing a genius as their character I expect it. You can usually tell if an author sat there writing his/her book with a dictionary and/or thesaurus open next to them. It has a tendency to turn off my enjoyment of the book fairly early on. And it feels, to me anyway, as if they're trying to sound smarter. I'm not sure if that's rude or not, but it's generally the perception I have. I know some people in the world talk like that, but not the majority of us...

In my opinion anyway.........

Disappointment in Reading

We write because we love it. Right? Right! So why do some books feel like zero love was put into them? I've only come across a few books like this in my life, but they were major disappointments to me. They seemed to read like the authors rushed through them just to meet a publication deadline. It felt like their hearts and minds weren't in the story they were trying to tell.

Oh, tears of sorrow and rage. How could I possibly put a book down thinking it had no heart, no life of it's own? That's truly how I feel about books. They are a world unto themselves. I want to feel like I'm a part of it, warm in it's light and cold in it's dark.

Some books, I feel, are incapable of creating that complete immersion for me. Though they are few and far in between. But when it does happen, I at least try to figure out why I feel that way. Sometimes it has to do with technique, character depth (or lack thereof), plot issues... The list goes on and on. I've even found this to be true for authors I've read most of my life. When I put my finger on it, I try to learn from it.

Not everyone has the same tastes though. We can always chalk it up to this; it's only my opinion and I'm sure others would disagree with me. But we could also say...it happens. Nobody is perfect and not everything is going to please everybody.

I only hope that if by some miracle I am published sometime in the future, nobody gets that feeling from my book..........

Going Back Again and Again.....and Again...

What is it about some books, or series of books, that makes us want to go back to them time and again? I don't think it's any one factor really, there are many reason and they vary from person to person. But while I couldn't sleep last night I was thinking about this...right before I picked up my Kindle to read The Gunslinger for (I kid you not) the hundredth time or so. I decided to bore everyone with my reasons for reading some books over and over and over to the point where I know some parts of them practically by heart.

First off let's start with The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Some of you may think, typical she likes King. I didn't read any of the DT series until I was in my twenties. (The seven book series also happens to be the first books I bought for my Kindle.) I committed the crime of reading Wizard in Glass before I read the first three. Only because the tiny library I had access to didn't have the previous books on the shelves, I had to wait, and I was impatient for a new book to read. What the heck, why not?

I loved it. Being able to read the foreword to have a small idea of what came before was helpful. Within the next few days the first three came in and I made sure they had the others on the shelf and grabbed them all. So, I started from the beginning and even read the fourth again. By the time I finished all seven books I knew I would come back to them again. Right off the bat Jake was my favorite character. Loved it when he came back in The Waste Lands. Cried in The Dark Tower. Eddie is a trip, Susannah is bad ass in all her personalities, and of course there's Roland.....and we must NOT forget Oy! Needless to say they all hold my attention in one way or another. Some of my favorite parts have to do with Roland's memories/stories that include Cuthbert and Sheemie. There are a few things here and there that I dislike about the individual books, but not many. They keep me coming back because, regardless of the fact that I know how it all turns out, I want to see it happening all over again. There are so many lines that make me smile, giggle, even have goosebumps (the scene in Wolves of the Calla in the woods with Roland and Jake does this every time), when I read them. I love how it ends. King got a lot of grief from his readers for the way he ended the series, but I thought it was the best possible solution. (On a side note I do read many of his books more than once as I own at least twenty outside DT, but these are my favorites.) I don't think I will ever stop reading this series.

On to the Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams. There's Shadowmarch, Shadowplay, Shadowrise, and Shadowheart (the last two should have been only one but we all know how these things go sometimes). Love this series! I grabbed the first two from the library without even bothering to check if there was another one coming, the covers alone made me want to read them. So I take them home and start reading about Barrick and Briony Eddon. I was sucked in from the beginning. Finally, after a torturous wait, the last two came out and I was able to finish them.....and not long after they were the second set of books I bought for it. I thought then, and sometimes still think, that Briony seems a little too full of herself at times, particularly when she's thinking about Vansen. But I still adore her. Which leads me to one of my favorite people in this series and I can't even tell you why. Vansen, there's just something about him that I'm drawn to. Barrick is my absolute favorite of the whole bunch. I look forward to reading about his parts of the books more than any others. Then there's also Shaso, Qinnitan, all the Funderlings, Skurn, Yassamez, Ynnir, Sanasu, all the Rooftoppers, all the various Qar.....and let's not forget the countless Gods and Goddesses in the story (I'm a sucker for those kinds of tales). So many others. The story intrigues me, the characters make me want to step into their shoes and go through these experiences. Even the bad ones.
EDIT: I forgot to mention his Otherland series, as well as Memory, Sarrow, and Thorn series. Tad Williams is definitely in my top five favorites.

Anne Rice: The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. Enough said. I am partial to the witch stories, but still love the vamp stories as well. Granted, I don't like the way Lestat's character evolved in VC but, it is what it is. I also own and reread 95% of John Grisham's books. About fifteen or so of Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas is epic) grace my shelves. I adore James Patterson and have many of his books on my shelves and my Kindle as well. I don't think there's one book I own that I won't go back to at some point in my life. I will never stop buying paperbacks, no matter how much I like my ereader. There's nothing like the feel of a book in your hand.

All in all, for me it's a combination of the story lines and the people involved, that's what keeps me coming back again and again. Some people prefer plot over character, or vice versa. I want both. I do enjoy more character driven stories without a ton of action. Just depends on the author, writing technique, many things really. When I delve into these worlds, it can feel like I really know these people, that I'm walking by their sides. To me, that's the best part of a good book. It's what makes me keep going back again and again.....and again...

A Little Bit 'O History

I'm always curious about how other people began their career, or attempted career, in writing. Mine isn't all that interesting to anyone but myself...but I suppose that would be true for most people. For as far back as I can remember I've always loved reading. I don't remember when exactly it happened, my youth is foggy these days, but I do remember after reading The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time I realized I wanted to write something that, maybe, other people would enjoy.

And so it began. I don't think I put much effort into writing until I was a freshman in High School. I submitted a story for a school contest, only got an "Honorable Mention", but hey, it was something. Shortly after I began to read even more diligently as I realized my writing definitely needed some work.

Fast forward to my mid-twenties (because many factors caused me to step away from the dream of writing), and there I am sitting in my favorite chair one day and this idea for a story just kept running through my head and refused to be silenced. (Keep in mind that while I absolutely LOVE the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre, I read pretty much anything I can get my hands on...even if it's horrible.) So my first attempt at writing was in the Mystery/Thriller/Suspense genre. Anniversaries was born. It took me months to write it, long hand mind you, but I was so excited the whole time I couldn't stop. We're talking two 5-subject notebooks filled with story, backstory, notes, etc. Finally I get a pc and transfer it all to the computer. I can't explain to you the level of joy I had when I was doing that.

About a year later I decided to submit queries and see if I could get it published. No dice, obviously. I found out a lot of information in that time, and it really opened my eyes to how difficult it can be to have a book published. Then one day I get an answer saying that someone wants to publish my work. Ho-ly crap, NO WAY! After I did a little research I found out that it was possibly the worst way to have your work published and knew it wasn't going to happen.

Enter the fabulous web site, Absolute Write and their outstanding forum. Truly, anyone wishing to be an author should at the very least browse this site for the mass amounts of information they have there. What I found when I went there was a ton of writers that have been published, some that haven't, but from my experience all were willing to help fledglings on their way. Fantastic if you ask me. I browsed and I studied and I tried to make myself a better writer based on advice from the people there. Finally, I got up the nerve to submit some of my first book for critique. For the record, regardless of how good I thought my book was, I knew it needed work and I was prepared for some really nasty comments, suggestions, etc. Not all were nasty, but all were truthful. I needed to work on my technique, more than I realized actually. (I had, and still have, a problem with "show don't tell" and it was very evident from my first attempt at writing.) Taking all the advice I was given, I went back to Anniversaries and revamped my story.

After a while I couldn't do it anymore, it just wasn't working. So I put it away and started working on the sequel to that book...but that wasn't working for me either. Oh no, what now? Ok, let's look at other genres I've enjoyed reading all my life because maybe M/T/S just isn't for me. Turns out that was THE BEST idea I've ever had. Sci-Fi/Fantasy, that's my thing. Love to read about, love to write about it, and found out that I enjoyed this genre more than M/T/S. Awesome!

A few months down the road I have three or four different works going at once and am having the best time at it. Still reading up on other writers and helpful information. Then I had to take a break for a while, from some things anyway, and focus on other aspects of life. Real life sucks sometimes, these things happen. In that time I continued writing a little, jotting ideas down, bits of dialogue, anything to keep the dream alive.

And here I am back at it again. This time with a better idea of what I need to do and how I need to do it, but by no means thinking that I don't need to learn more. I know I do, we always have room to learn I think. Anniversaries is once again in revisions, but still being submitted to publishers. But my Sci-Fi/Fantasy work is  what I enjoy the most. I don't know the number of stories I have finished or are in the works for this genre at this time, but I now only allow myself to work on one or two at a time so as not to burn myself out.

Maybe one day I will be able to walk into a bookstore or library and see my name on the shelves, maybe not. Either way I don't care really. I do what I love and I love what I do. It's as simple as that.

And Away We Go!

So here's my first attempt at blogging...from my phone. One thing is for sure, typing with one finger drastically reduces my rambling.

Just a quick update on my writing activity as of late:

The Occult Collection is currently in edits. Oh yeah! But on the downside, my laptop screen decided to black out on me so it's technically on hold. Probably a good thing to step away from it for a little while.

Rework on Anniversaries (the first book I wrote, it's not even a Fantasy. For shame!) is still ongoing. Again, on hold due to electronic malfunctions. Still submitting that one to publishers. No dice but I shall not give up!!

Current WIP, The Dark Hand (a huge thanks to Chad for that title) is at just over 4,000 words out of an approximate 80,000...though that could change. Slow going with pen & paper but I've been transferring to my USB when I can get access to a comp.

Remind me again why I didn't backup my other works on a USB?!?!

So...that's it for now. Thrilling, isn't it?