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With coffee and writing implements at hand, I can determine the shape of today. |
| I tend to write in the morning. After morning coffee and writing comes whatever the day holds...work, more writing, family time, reading, maybe even some gaming. It just depends...but writing first, always. And once I start writing, I get an idea not only of what I'm writing about, but how the rest of my day will go. Hence, the shape of today. |
| One of the numerous things affected by the pandemic is our library system's courier service. Putting a book on hold from another library used to take a week or two; now it can take months due to shutdowns, quarantine procedures, and staffing challenges. When I stumbled across a Stephen King book called Secret Windows, I was surprised because I'd thought it was a work of fiction...a novella published on its own. This isn't the case. It seems to be a companion volume to On Writing that I somehow missed entirely. Naturally I put a hold on it, some weeks ago now. It's on its way from Warner-Robins, which means God knows when it will show up. In the meantime, I've re-read On Writing and found that many of my writing habits need to be modified, if I'm serious about the craft. I knew this in the back of my mind, but getting reminded of it in the middle of NaNoWriMo is of course a much-needed shot in the arm. Mostly it's made me realize that the project that probably needs the most attention is my "Crown Jewel", my oldest writing project. It occurred to me the other night that I'm cluttering it up way too much with stuff it doesn't need, so I plan to go in and trim some of that fat. The characters are there (a couple need some tweaking), the location is there, the situation is there. I'm going to trust to Sai King's anti-outlining admonitions and just let the story itself take off. Oh, and naturally the King also reminded me that a writer reads. Always. I've finished On Writing (for the third time), but while waiting for my traveling book I picked up Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle, which I think I may have read as a teenager. No matter; it's an excellent ride so far, and I'm trying to make a habit of studying how Follett manages his language, his characters, and his story. These are things I need to keep an eye on no matter what I'm reading. |
| WDC is gently poking me to update my blog this morning, so here goes. I have been quiet here of late, focusing my writing energy on NaNoWriMo. And how is that going fourteen days into the month, you ask? Well, about like I expected. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up the 1,667 words a day such a project demands, but I am pleased to note that when I can spare time to work on it, the words are flowing and the story seems to be going somewhere. I also note all sorts of issues with it, but NaNoWriMo seems to be more about developing the habit of writing each day, and that's what I'm focusing on. On days when I simply can't...I simply can't. I don't stress over it. Will I have a finished project by the end of November? Probably not. But I will have a rough shape that I can begin to chip away at and turn into something that resembles the finished project in my head. Therefore, it is not a wasted effort at all. Now there are some more mundane things poking at my mind...laundry, cleaning up the breakfast dishes, maybe even some cleaning. Somehow doing these things fuels the writing impulse for me, so it's best that I get to them. |
| "Project Atlantis" is slowly taking shape. It's definitely gonna be my NaNoWriMo project this year. I'm not gonna kid myself; the way my real life goes, there are simply going to be days when I can't crank out the requisite 1,667 words per day demanded by the regimen. But I hope this year I will at least have a less murky roadmap to follow on this unique road. So far I have a strong opening scene, a couple of character names, and a premise that should prove intriguing. And speaking of real life...yeah, it's calling. Time to get ready for work. |
| While ambling around at work with a cartful of books to be shelved this week, I was ambushed by my inner writer. She reminded me of the "Atlantis Project" (which I had half-forgotten), and said that would be an excellent project for NaNoWriMo. And it probably would, once I have more than the barest-of-bones idea that I have now (in my story Atlantis is real, mysterious, and unconquerable). Judging by what I see at work, a series based on this idea would be a hit with the YA crowd, who are voracious and deadly serious readers. Of course, my inner killjoy got into the act immediately, arguing that I'd already begun fleshing out one NaNoWriMo project, to start another now was putting too much on my plate. But I'm thinking I might just table Shattered Echoes for this year and go with the Atlantis project. After all, it won't go anywhere and I'll have something to build on for next year's project. Truth be told, I'm not comfortable starting that one yet until I finish those holes I mentioned in the last post. So. Time to get brainstorming. |
| Since I threw myself into last year's NaNoWriMo with very little preparation, I wanted to do better this year. I've chosen my partly formed "time travel" story as my project this year, and begun piecing it together in Scrivener. There are some rather significant holes in my storyline and as "pantsing" didn't seem to work out so well I want to resolve those. It's tricky, because time travel is a tricky subject. Shattered Echoes was inspired by sai King's 11/22/63, I admit. But King sent his protagonist back in time to avert a major tragedy, and mine is trying to prevent a much smaller one. The character she is trying to save looms not nearly as large on the world stage, because in my imaginary timeline he died young. My protagonist feels she has a good chance of success...but I'm thinking things might not turn out quite as planned for her. Just what does happen when you tweak a small thread in the tapestry of time? That's something I'll have to get a clearer fix on before November, along with period research, character sheets, and the nature of time travel. Plus, how the writers of yore plied their trade in whatever era this story spins out in. Lots to do, but I'm getting excited about it. |
| Okay, WDC, you keep reminding me to update my blog so here I go. I won't go into details about what the last entry's "athletic temperature gauge" snowballed into...let's just say it was nerve-wracking, aggravating, and expensive. However, it is now resolved and I have a new mechanic who is both reasonably priced and honest, so there's that. On to business: NaNoWriMo! After some debate I've decided to take another crack at it this year...with a different work and with some better preparation this time. I've started piecing together the "time travel" novel idea I was kicking around and have even started a Scrivener project on it. Also "declared myself" on the NaNoWriMo site. My internal writer had been somewhat muted of late, but I notice now she's jumping around and yelling ideas at me again. Best to strike while the iron is hot! It's clear to me that I'm never going to magically have the time I want to write, so I'll just have to make my own time if I'm serious about it. Funny how time seems to be the theme of this particular post, but it's true what Gandalf tells Frodo at the beginning of LotR: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." And I need to stop wasting mine. I know what needs doing. |
| Well, well, well. A water main break in town forced the library to shut the moment it was open, so I find myself with most of Saturday free. It seems like a good time to update my blog as I'm being prompted to do. This past week has been busy and a bit rough, with the car's temperature gauge behaving more athletically than I'd like. However, at yesterday's oil change I was assured that all was normal, so I suppose it's just the reaction to the summer heat and probably a bit of automotive paranoia on my part. In any event, it gave me a reason to get that overdue oil change done. And now, to business. I've been neglecting my duties here at WDC both as a writer and a reviewer and I need to remedy that. I've just finished reading an entertaining little book called The Pen Commandments that reminded me how wonderful our particular magic is here. Even this morning's guild missions reminder announcement was pretty sparse (I didn't realize I was gonna be home two hours after posting it and thought I was out of time). I need to pick up my pen again. And keyboard. And book, as well. There's a thunderstorm threatening nearby, so this might be a strictly "analog" reading and writing day. But hey, I'll take it! |
| It's actually well beyond coffee time today; getting on towards lunchtime, in fact. With my work schedule having shifted back towards the middle of the week, I have resumed Monday errands and have already finished those. I'm glad to say this weekend was productive for a change. I finally carried out my threat to clear the front porch of all that clutter and have cleaned up the chairs. And Ming, who took no notice of them previously, now sits in mine and meows piteously every time he hears me moving around in the kitchen, just as if he doesn't have a friend in the world. For a cat who started life as a very timid kitten, he's certainly gotten assertive. Now, hopefully, I can turn my attention to a writing project for the remainder of the day. I've been reminded that I'm eligible for the "Journey Through Genres" contest with my membership, and this month's prompt is "fanfiction". I've never indulged in fanfiction; it just doesn't seem right to mess about with somebody else's characters and world. But a setting that suits me perfectly has come to mind, and a story to go with it. So after getting a little clarification on the rules (I don't want to annoy Neil Gaiman), I've started putting it together. Using Scrivener, because I'm rusty. We shall see how this experiment goes. |
| The strange irony of the COVID-19 era is twofold. We who are introverts by nature didn't really change our lives that much; indeed, for the few weeks I worked from home I'd only leave for grocery runs or trips to the laundromat (thanks to one of several household crises that erupted at this time). The rest of the time the job was actually keeping me hopping most of the time between meetings and various exercises meant to sharpen our skills. I was appreciative of that, though. It kept things from getting dull. For the last several weeks we have been back in our (still unopened to the public) brand-new library building providing some limited services. No late evenings, and no weekends. The hours are a joy, and I'm relishing them because I know they won't last. Once we reopen, it'll be back to the old schedule. The lockdown meant I finally got my wish...I was being asked to stay home as much as I could. You would think during this time I'd be writing all I could, but really I did very little. It's not until now, when life is returning slowly to normal, that the ideas and desire to shape them are forming. It came to me out of the blue (at work, to boot), that I should take the vague time travel story idea I started on last year and form it into something I can work on during NaNoWriMo. That's not until November, so it gives me plenty of time to develop characters, story, and ways around the paradoxes that are popping up in my mind. I know where I want the story to go, but getting it there is going to take some work. And research, of course. I'm gonna need to read a few of the better-regarded time travel novels that I haven't gotten to yet. Dang! That means I'm gonna have to read more books!  |
| For the last few weeks I have been making the acquaintance of the ugly kid brother of writer's block: reader's block. The usual joy that accompanies the activity of reading is eluding me. This might be due to a number of causes. I'm around reading materials nearly 24/7, and I might have burned myself out a bit. Plus, RL over the past couple of months has been particularly trying between family concerns, the busy summer reading period at work, and a suspected case of sciatica that can sometimes nearly incapacitate me. It's certainly aggravating not being able to do the things that need doing, when I have a chance to do them. I know there are people in much worse circumstances than I so I try not to complain too much. But naturally, this bleeds over into my writing, or lack thereof. I've barely done anything here at WDC. I've barely done anything on my own, though I have several projects started that need attention and work. I even took out a subscription to Asimov's so I can re-acquaint myself with the art of the short story. The clock is ticking, and I need to smash these two blocks and get on with things. To that end, I am departing my my usual choice of reading material (even a return to Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar didn't have the desired effect). Currently on my nightstand is the singularly titled The Jewish-Japanese Sex and Cook Book and How to Raise Wolves, by one Jack Douglas. This appeared randomly in one of my library-themed social media feeds, and on a whim I checked our system to see if we had a copy. We did. One. So naturally I put a hold on it, mostly so I could enjoy the expressions on my co-workers' faces when it arrived. Nor was I disappointed. However, this humorous account of life in rural Canada and Connecticut is pretty entertaining, set as it is in the early Seventies. The author was a contemporary of Jack Paar and had an...interesting...choice in pets. But my real hope is that this change will recharge my love for reading, and thusly rekindle the writing fires as well. Often when reading a book my little "internal librarian" is considering what book to have ready when the current one is finished, and she's been quiet for too long...until now. She's wandering up and down my mental stacks once more, deciding which road my mind needs to take next. And that is a hopeful sign. |
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