Creative gifting

One of my favorite creative outlets is gift giving. What better way to use your creative/crafty talents than by sharing them with the ones you love?

This is one of my go-to gifts for new parents: a diaper cake!


It's very simple to make, and people seem to love them. Here's a step by step:

1. Buy a pretty plate, preferably something with the design on the edge of the plate, so you can see it when the "cake" is on it.


2. Buy diapers, and roll about 20 individual diapers, tying each with a ribbon.



3. Then place the rolled diapers on the plate, standing them up longwise. Use enough of the rolls to cover the main part of the plate. Then tie another ribbon around the whole layer of diapers.

4. Repeat, making the second and third layers smaller, so the cake is tiered.

5. For the finishing touch, I use basket wrap, which you can get at craft stores. It's basically a cellophane bag that you place the gift in, tie the top with yet another ribbon, and then use your blowdryer to make the cellophane shrink to fit the gift. If you don't want to buy this type of wrapper, you could also use colored saran wrap.

You can also tuck little gifts into the tier ties, such as pacifiers or small toys.

Ta-dah! A gift that's sure to be a hit at your next baby shower.

Submissions Fatigue

I am sitting here, submitting some stories to some journals, and wondering why I find this process so damn draining. I try to make it as painless as possible--Before "submission day," I create a list of journals I want to submit a particular story to, along with the pertinent information about how the journal prefers to accept submissions, the editor's name, etc. That way, when I finally have some free time, I can open the file and run quickly down the list.

In theory. In reality, it takes me hours to submit one story to eight journals. Why? Part of it is that I want to double check everything on my list, to make sure I don't screw up the email address, or whether a journal wants stories mailed and printed in a particular type of font.

Another part of it is that I find it emotionally taxing--No matter how "used" to rejection I get, I still don't enjoy sending my babies out to the slaughter. So I try to give myself frequent, short breaks so as not to overwhelm my system.

Anyone have a better system than the one I described? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Off to bed... wishing my stories good luck out there in the world!

Sunday Scribblings: Adult

I haven't Scribbled in a long, long time. But since I'm trying to reinvigorate my blogging (as I posted about here), I figured I'd return to an old favorite way to get my writing.

On this week's Sunday Scribblings prompt, this question about adulthood spoke to me the most: Are you glad to finally be an adult? I thought about this question the other day, when I heard some fellow commuters talking about their teenagers. The parents were saying how lucky the teens had it--they didn't have bills to pay or jobs to worry about. I shook my head and thought to myself, How wrong those people are. I will take bills and jobs and car troubles and relationship problems and all the other downsides of adult life over the many downsides of being a teen. The most prominent one in my memory? How poorly developed my sense of myself was.

With every passing year, I get to know myself that much better. And with that knowledge comes a sense of confidence that I just couldn't have had as a teenager. I didn't trust that I had the strength to get through the minor challenges that I barely think about now. I remember crying so hard when the Amtrak train I was supposed to get on was oversold and there was no more room for me. I was 19 or so, heading back to college after winter break. When the train stopped at Penn Station, even the doorways were crammed with people sitting on their suitcases.

As the train pulled away, tears of frustration filled my eyes. I didn't know what else to do. I pictured train after train coming into the station already full, and my being stuck in Penn Station forever.

Now, when things like that happen, I know that even if I can't get a fair or reasonable response from the people in charge (as was the case when I tried to get someone to explain to me how they could sell more tickets for a train than there were seats on that train--why have me make a reservation for a particular train if that reservation is meaningless?), I can take care of myself. I can buy a bus ticket instead, or rent a car. I can call someone to see if I can spend the night on their couch and catch a train the next day. I can sleep in the train station if I really have to.

I can also deal with the anger and frustration that comes with these situations by venting out loud or in my head. By knowing that when I get home, I WILL be getting a refund for that train ticket if I had to spend more money on an alternate mode of transportation. And I know that no matter what happens, I'll be OK. I'm smart enough and strong enough to figure something out.

As a teenager, I didn't know that about myself. And I wouldn't trade that knowledge for anything--not the ability to sleep in every day of the summer, not the ignorance of credit card late fees, none of it.

What are your thoughts on adulthood? For others' take on the subject, check out Sunday Scribblings.

A gardening slide show

I'm taking a multimedia journalism class, and one of the simpler tools we're using is slideshows. Here's one of photos from my garden.

New look, altered focus

I haven't been blogging much lately, even though I've been thinking about the blog quite a bit. Part of me blames Facebook--it's such a fast, easy way to share links and thoughts with people, many of whom would never venture over to this ole blog. [Readers, any thoughts on the redundancy between FB and your blog? Do you post certain things in one place, other things in another? Would love to hear your thoughts.]

I also blame lack of time for my recent un-blogging. Work has been crazy. As has life in general. Mostly in good ways, but still.

I have been thinking a lot about my life and what I want to do with it (For this I blame the many people around me who are having babies, a life-structuring activity that I am just not ready for.) The bottom line is that I want it to be a creative life. What does this mean to me?

* Writing. Lots of writing. Writing for fun. Aloowing myself to write about whatever subjects call me at the moment, and in the style that calls, too.

* Keeping a daily journal. This is separate from the writing bullet just because it's so important to me that it deserves its own space.

* Gardening. Surrounding my home with beautiful flowers and delicious plants.

* Animals. I'm not sure why taking care of my animals feels like a creative outlet to me, but it does. I think it has to do with the intimacy that animals give at such a low cost in terms of drama or emotional neediness.

* Photography.

* Crafts, like knitting, collaging, sewing, decorating the house.

* Yoga.

* Devoting the time and energy to the people in my life whose relationships I cherish, and not spreading myself thin on people who I don't deeply connect with.

* Getting out in nature.

* Dancing. Even if it's just in my living room.

* Volunteering. I realize this is stretching the meaning of "creative", but I do think that giving back to the world/your community is an important part of living a meaningful life. Which is really the purpose, for me, of deliberately living a creative life.

What does all this have to do with the blog? Well, along with the new look, I plan to alter the focus of the blog to reflect these various creative pursuits.

Hope you like the slightly altered focus and the very altered look. Please let me know what you think of both, but especially the color scheme. If anything is hard to read, I want to know so I can change it.

Thanks all. I'd also love to hear what things you think of when you consider your own creative life.

Good Quote

I feel like the blog has been a little quote heavy these days. I promise to post some pics this weekend to even things out. But I can't help but share this quote, which the ever brilliant Jon Stewart said back in January, but which I just heard today (thanks Utube!)

"If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values.... They're hobbies!"

Backsides

No, this post is not about people's bums. I'm talking about the back covers of books. I just read an interesting blog post by a book reviewer that talks about his preferences of what is found on the back cover of books:

"The method I endorse...is judicious quotation from the book itself. Not the first paragraph, because everyone can flick to that easily enough themselves. Just a really good, representative section - say, the beginning of a passage the author would read at an event - or a single brilliant line."

I agree that this method has a lot of value--it gives a sense of the prose, and if chosen well, it can also give a sense of the plot.

I also like when there is a synopsis that is clearly written to mirror the prose of the book. This works especially well for short story collections, since there is no one plot to talk about. For books of poems, I like to read a short description of the poet's style (ie, what topics she writes about, whether she relies heavily on one type of structure or another) and then to get an excerpt or short poem.

I wonder, how much say does an author get about the backside? Can she write the copy herself? What better way to make sure it is a good representation of the style found in the book itself... Any published authors out there, I'd love to hear about your experience with backsides.

Liar!

I recently read about a conflict between an author and her publisher regarding book cover images. It wasn't just a situation of artistic differences--the publisher chose a cover showing the face of a white girl when the main character of the book is black.
The author, Justine Larbalestier, explains the situation very well here. The basics: the publisher felt that books with black people on the cover don't sell well, and they wanted a photo of a girl on the cover, so they went with a white girl. Since the book is about an obsessive liar trying to mend her ways, the publisher didn't feel that having a mismatch between the cover and the character's description of herself was a big deal.

I work in publishing, so I understand that cover images are very important to a book's commercial success. And as writers we should all be concerned about our commercial success because, after all, we want our work to reach people and we want to get book contracts in the future. But c'mon. There are clearly ways to satisfy the needs of the marketers and the integrity of the book. (The sad fact that racism affects book buying is a whole 'nother matter.)

That said, one positive thing about this controversy is that people are talking about the book. I, for one, am going to read Liar, which I may not have heard of if it weren't for the ill-chosen cover.

Good Quote

I like this quote because it emphasizes the importance of setting goals, not just in reaching them. I'm going to try to remember these words next time I'm hard on myself for not getting everything done that I want to...

"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at." Bruce Lee

Who knew Bruce Lee was so deep? ;)

Tri training and writing

So all this swimming, biking, running, and more swimming has knocked me out of any sort of writing habit. As my triathlon gets very close, I am feeling very frustrated about the fact that I have managed to fit into my weeks an absurd amount of workouts, but I cannot fit regular writing into my life with anywhere near as much intensity. I've thought about why and come up with a few theories:

1-Working out shows fairly immediate results. Within a few weeks, you lose weight, see more muscle, run faster, etc. Writing? Even with the most consistent writing practice, results (in terms of noticeable improvement or getting published) are few and far between.

2-There's much more social support for working out. I have lots of friends who will accompany me to the gym or go out for a run with me. Writing is so solitary--which I love, but which also means there's no peer pressure egging me on, and I can't kill two birds with one stone by writing while I chat with a friend I've been meaning to catch up with.

3- Similarly, there are many more people in my life who will pat me on the (sweaty) back after a workout than there are who will cheer me on for finishing a page of writing.

4-Did I mention the immediacy of results?

All that said, I am *pretty* sure that if I committed more to writing, I would see more results. So, even without the guarantee I wish I could garner from the writing fairy, I am going to commit to a writing routine in August. I'm still working out the kinks of the program, but I'm sure it will be just as grueling--and hopefully satisfying--as the tri training has been.

Good Quote

"It is worth mentioning, for future reference, that the creative power which bubbles so pleasantly in beginning a new book quiets down after a time, and one goes on more steadily. Doubts creep in. Then one becomes resigned. Determination not to give in, and the sense of an impending shape keep one at it more than anything."

~Virginia Woolf

Words I hope to remember as I work on revising the first few chapters of my novel and then pushing onward!

Revising on a Boston-bound Greyhound

Eek--it's been a while since I've posted. This summer feels very busy--actually, it's just a tad busier than I'd like, and I'm thinking that August will be the perfect pace. I'll be done with my triathlon training then, and hopefully relaxing will fill in the void that training has left. Plus, in August I get to spend a week at the Canada lake house, writing and hanging out with two of my favorite people in the world. Oh, how I am looking forward to that!

I have been getting a bit of writing done (not as much as I'd like--never as much as I'd like...). I printed out the two stories I've been sending around, and that have been getting rejected, and read them on the bus back from New York this weekend. Having not read them for a while, I came at them with the freshest eyes I have since writing them. I discovered:

1. The longer story (Cartes Postales) had a few typos! So embarrassing! I think what happened was the last time I edited the story, I didn't have the stomach to reread it purely for typos. Big mistake--and one I will never make again!

2. I found a solution to a problem that was plaguing Cartes--the transition from where the main character goes from wishing her husband were still alive to actually believing he is. Again, having some distance allowed me to find a simple solution. Once I make these small changes--AND PROOFREAD THE STORY--I'll send it out again.

3. The shorter story, Because We Can (a title that I might change), was cleaner--thank God! I still made a few small edits, though, and had a feeling that the ending wasn't quite working. But I couldn't figure out why. Then I read Lorrie Moore's recent story in the New Yorker and I had an idea-- the story needs some retrospection on the part of the main character. She needs to look back to be able years later to understand what the incidents of the story meant to her.

I journaled about this change this morning on my train ride to work, and plan on implementing it as soon as I can get some time in front of the ole computer. Then I'll PROOFREAD IT and start sending it out again.

Year in Review

I feel lucky to have a birthday smack dab in the middle of the calendar year. It gives me an opportunity to reflect every six months--in January at the start of the New Year, and in June at the start of my New Year.

I read back on this post regarding my Writing Action Plan for 2009, and I'm happy to say I'm on track: I'm working on the ole novel, and have 2 stories I'm sending out (and getting a lot of rejection notices on...). I sent in a query to NPR, and also got a rejection. But hey, I sent it! So I'm trying at least. I attended Grub Street's Muse and the Market Place (and will post about it soon... better late than never, no?).

I have also recently begun some volunteer activities, which I'm quite proud of. I'm going to start tutoring some ESL students in Brockton (a nearby town that has a big immigrant population) in July, and I've contributed time and seedlings to a garden plot whose produce will go to a food pantry.

Speaking of gardening, I'm taking time to do a lot of it. I'll post some pics (including one of a basil leaf as big as my hand!) as soon as I can find the damn cord that connects the camera to the computer.


There is still much I'd like to do in 2009:
1. Publish a story,
2. Get a second draft of most, if not all, of my novel
3. Do NaNoWriMo in November
4. Get one more story finalized and into send-out rotation.

But all in all, the first half of 2009 has been a mostly happy, mostly productive time, which is all I can ask for really.

Another (nice) rejection

I got yet another rejection, this one seems to be one of the more encouraging kind that said they enjoyed my work, but can't publish it. If I didn't already have more artistic designs for my home office, I could start wallpapering it with rejections. Sigh.

I think it's time for me to review the stories I've been sending out again, to see if I need to tweak them. I'll also hit up a few of my literary friends who haven't read these pieces yet to see if they have any feedback. If you have interest in doing that, dear readers, please leave me a comment and I would be delighted to email them to you.

Happy weekend--hope it's rejection free! :)

Two good quotes

I'll let them speak for themselves:


When I look at all the writers who have won coveted prizes and all the filmmakers and artists who have had success, what I notice is that they are the ones who actually filled out the applications for fellowships and sent their work around for critique and rejection; they are the ones who locked themselves in rooms and worked at it; they are the ones who did what was required; they are the ones who allowed themselves to be beginners and to begin at the beginning and do the next obvious thing.
~Cary Tennis of Salon.com

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work." -- H. L. Hunt

Feeling disconnected from writing

I spent some time yesterday organizing my submissions chart, and doing so made me realize how disconnected I'm feeling from writing. I think a huge part of it is because I'm training for a triathlon. Crazy, I know. A friend talked me into it, and it's been fun, but time consuming. I am hoping that this training will make me feel super duper fit. That's my real goal. And finishing, no matter how long it takes me.

But anyway. Back to writing. All this training has taken time and energy away from it. I need to refocus, though, cause I'm really missing it. And I feel like (to use a sport's metaphor) I'm running in place in terms of my submissions and revisions.

I don't have a specific goal in mind here, other than to just get myself re-connected. That'll probably mean writing some pages of the novel (and hopefully get to 30 by June 30), taking a look at the two stories I've been sending out that have been getting rejected left and right, working on my Real Simple essay, and editing down a short short for submission.

How do you reconnect to writing (or your other passions) when you feel your attention waning?

When did you first realize you're a grownup?

PoetMom challenged me to enter this essay contest. And you all know how I love a challenge! The theme of the essay needs to be: When did you first realize you're a grownup?

I've been brainstorming, and I've decided to go with the time I took care of my parents while my mother was in the hospital. I say "took care of my parents" because my dad needed more attention than my mom, since he was so scared.

Here's info on the contest. Even if you're not going to enter, it's an interesting question to think about. Leave a comment about when you realized you were a grown-up.

When did you realize that you had become a grown-up? Perhaps it was when you
first paid taxes or met your son’s first girlfriend. Whether the experience was
difficult, funny, easy, or bittersweet, share your lesson and you could win.

Enter Real Simple’s second-annual Life Lessons essay contest and you could have
your essay published in Real Simple; win round-trip tickets for two to New York
City, hotel accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play, and a
lunch with Real Simple editors; and receive a prize of $3,000.

Next scenes

In the spirit of getting back into the 30 pages/30 days challenge, here is a list of scenes I want to write. I'm not sure if they'll make it into the novel, but they will certainly inform my understanding of the characters and backgrounds:

** Emily (the protagonist) and her sister Carrie as kids, at home before their parents got divorced. What was the relationship like between her parents? What did Em understand about it, at the time and in retrospect? What did the house smell and look like? How close were Em and Carrie as children?

** The family vacation that scarred Carrie (I won't give away how on the blog!). What does Em remember of it? What did that house look, feel, smell like?

** Emily and Carrie in Boston together as adults. They don't share an apartment, but they hang out all the time. What do they do together? What is there relationship like? What are their exchanges like?

I'm sure I can get 23 pages out of these!

Check in: A page a day in June

I love deadlines, even self imposed ones. Without a deadline, I get very little done. So I jump on the chance to do writing challenges, such as NaNoWriMo (the challenge is to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month. And it's why I was excited that BostonErin posted a smaller but similar challenge on her blog recently: Write a page a day in June.

I learned of the challenge on June 4, so I was already handicapped. Then, I was away at a science writing fellowship for 5 more days after that, which left little time for writing of the creative kind. But the road to not writing is paved with "life came up" type excuses, so I am determined to get back on track.

Today, when I had many excuses not to write (the most urgent being that I was hung over), I managed to get down 6 pages! Add that to the one page I had written before now, and I'm at 7--count 'em, 7--pages.

What's that you say? It's June 14th, which means I'm 7 pages behind? P-shaw. That's nothing. I'm a cram-at-the-end deadline-loving gal.

Podcasts on Writing

I just came across this blog, which is by a writer named Tim Lemire. It features podcasts of Tim reading mini essays on various aspects of writing.
I just listened to one about writing processes, and how even though famous authors may make it sound like there is one way to write (ie, using a yellow notepad while in bed at 6 a.m.), everyone has to experiment to find the method that works for them. I found it a fun and informative listen. Give the blog a try, and let me know what you think!

An essay in Tweets about working at the New Yorker

I seem to be on a New Yorker kick. Here's an interesting article by Dan Baum about his experience writing for the New Yorker, which ran as a series of Tweets (which is a medium I have yet to understand the point of, but that's a topic for another post). I love hearing about writers' lives and experiences, and I was especially interested since the New Yorker is, of course, the creme de la creme. Baum also very generously posts on his web sites the article queries that got him into the New Yorker and other mags, and the ones that got rejected. What a model of helping aspiring writers!

Can Writing Be Taught?

Poetmom posted a link to this interesting New Yorker article on MFA program. It talks about the question of whether writing can be taught, and if not, then what is the point of MFA programs in the first place?

The piece is a reaction to a recent book called "The Program Era" by Mark McGurl, which talks about the huge rise in MFA programs in recent history (which, I learned through the article, was first due to the fact that WWI Vets could only get government money for degree programs, so MFA programs sprouted up as a way for vets to take creative writing classes for free).

Here is my reaction to the article. I'd love to hear yours, too!

First, the question of whether writing can be taught. I think writing takes three things:
1. Stick-to-it-iveness. Writing is hard and lonely, and often filled with rejections. You've got to have immense perseverance not to give up. Oh, and did I mention that writers are usually not paid for their work, or at least not up front, while they're actually doing it?

2. Talent/creativity.

3. Knowledge. Knowledge about literature, about the structure of a story/novel/poem, about what works and what doesn't.

Of these three, number 1 is most important, in my mind. I don't think you can make someone be more dedicated, or more "sticky". But talking about how much perseverance writing takes can help people realize every writer feels like writing is a tough, tough thing that they occasionally want to give up on. That can be an invaluable lesson.

Number 2, inspiration, can't be taught. It can be given room to blossom, but that's different than teaching someone how to have talent or be creative.

Number 3, knowledge about writing and literature, can certainly be taught. I came out of my MFA program with much more knowledge on these subjects that's one of the things I came out of my MFA program that I did not have going in.

What's also discussed in the article is the things outside of learning to write that one gets from an MFA program. From my MFA experience, the most important were:

**The ability to make my writing a priority. As the New Yorker writer, Louis Menand, put it, "to actually write stuff (as opposed to planning to write stuff very, very soon)."

**A sense of community, and some of the best friends I'll probably ever have. Again, to quote from the article, (this from a part where Menand talks about his own experience studying poetry): "I just thought that this stuff mattered more than anything else, and being around other people who felt the same way, in a setting where all we were required to do was to talk about each other's poems, seemed like a great place to be." Amen to that.

Two new goals

I've got two writing goals to announce:
1- Write a page a day in the month of June. This is inspired by the lovely and talented BostonErin.

I plan to write scenes from the novel I'm working on. I'm not going to worry about where exactly in the book the scenes will go just yet.

2- Get chapters one through three edited and in descent shape by August, when I'll meet up with two of my wonderful, wonderful writing buddies for a 5-day-writing/editing/critiquing-retreat on a lake in Canada.

I'm also hoping these challenges will inspire blog posts and get me back into the habit of writing here, but we'll see...

Focus on your desire to write, not your unit sales

I've linked to Ask Cary here before, but once again he has written beautifully about writing and the writing life, so I can't help but share. This time, he talks about how writers who are down on their work should focus on what brought them to dream about becoming a writer, not some outside measure of success (publication, number of readers, etc.).

Like many writers, what brought me to writing was the idea of expressing myself, the truths about my life, and, I think, life in general. Personally I find it very hard to talk about these concepts directly, so writing about fictional characters who are dealing with them is the safest, best way for me to get those ideas across to others. What I've learned as I've written is that often times the writing also helps me learn the truths about myself that are buried fairly deep, which I wouldn't get to if I didn't take the time to think, reflect, write, and revise.

How about you? What brought you to writing? What keeps you going?

I'll leave you with a quote from Cary that touched me:

...Soon I realized that there were other secret languages and other people who could read these secret languages. That was the vision that excited me and made me want to be a writer: I wanted to find a secret voice within myself like the one Dylan Thomas had found, and begin speaking it and see if anyone could understand me. To this day, when I grow weak and tired, I seek that primary thrill of adolescence; I try to re-create for myself my own strange, secret language.

Dear blog

I'm so sorry for ignoring you, blog! Things have been crazy, with a ton of day-job work, and a trip to Ireland (pictures to come!), as well as some gardening and house projects. Phew. I've been busy! But I do promise to try to be better about getting over here to muse about writing and the writing life.

In the meantime, here are some quotes I came across today on Post Secret, one of my favorite blogs of all time. These are pieces of advice to graduates. If there are any readers out there who haven't given up on me, I hope you enjoy these:

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”

Contrary to popular belief, these are not the best years of your life, just the least complicated.

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There will never be anyone youer than you."

"The hardest part isn't finding who we need to be. It's being content with who you are."

Contest/Writing prompt

I saw this contest announcement, and I think "smoke" makes and interesting writing prompt, so I thought I would combine the two in the near future. Look out for the post soon! Care to join me?

Submission Call for SMOKE themed anthology. Poetry and Micro or Flash Fiction. Deadline October 31, 2009.

More details can be found at The Smoking Book blog, thesmokingbook.blogspot.com, the on-line edition of SMOKE.

Poetry (any form or style) and Micro or Flash Fictions wanted for an anthology on SMOKE. Not just the black clouds rising from the five-alarm fire next door, or the billowing plumes of smoke warning us of a forest fire, or the emissions from smoke stacks, apartment house incinerators, and crematoriums, smoke rings rise from cigarettes, smoke pours out of headshops, pipe shops & cigar stores--see that purple haze rising over the fields of poppies and marijuana we just planted--we've used it to communicate via smoke signals and skywriting, to cover our tracks and disappear with and without mirrors, combat the enemy on and off the battlefield, kill bugs, flavor food, cure illness, declare peace treaties, and fragrance our homes. Got the idea? Release it onto the page.

Sunday Scribblings: Scary

This is from the point of view of Em, the main character in my novel-in-progress

What am I scared of? A few weeks ago I would've said nothing. I would've even told myself that, answered with the one word before I even gave the question any thought. Now I'm realizing that I'm scared of my life continuing on like this, so lonely, so alone.

Before Carrie died, she was the only person I needed. Even when she was in New York and I was in Boston, just knowing she was out there was enough. Knowing that someone, somewhere understood me, saw me. I never would've said that to her, never would've even thought it. I just knew it in my gut.

It's been five years since I've felt like someone got me. I have friends who I drink with and play darts with. We do trivia once a week. From the outside, it would seem like I had created the family I didn't have growing up. But they don't even know about Carrie, let alone what I think or feel about anything other than the Red Sox, the sloppy old guys who sit at the bar, and the various political stories of the moment.

It's terrifying to think of going through life like this forever. The only thing scarier? Actually opening up.

Listen up!

As some of you know, I like listening to books on tape and other audio materials while I knit, drive, clean the house...pretty much anytime I can't actually be reading but my mind can focus on a story.

I started a new little area on the blog where I can keep links to some of my favorite sites for audio materials. See "Listen up!" on the left. Let me know if you have any favorites that aren't listed, or if you like any of the ones I have listed.

My writing class, a review

Last weekend, I taught the writing class that I blogged about a few months ago. It was through the Boston Center for Adult Education, and it was called an Intensive Writing Retreat. I'm happy to report that it went really well!
There were 4 students, so it made for a very intimate experience. I really enjoyed it--I did some of the exercises along with the class, and we each read some of our freewrites. I learned a lot--and it seems the students did too. They were all very good writers, and had interesting things to say about writing and the process. For next time, I'll have a better sense of timing--things took longer than I expected them to, which was fine because my outline was flexible.
And the new BCAE building is beautiful! So bright and airy, and both modern and homey at the same time.
My take home from the class was remembering that writing should be done for its own sake, not to "finish" something or publish it, necessarily. Those are fine goals, but they can't be what drives a writer to write, or at least, they can't be what drives this writer to write if she wants to enjoy the process--which she does!

I also applied for a college-level adjunct teaching course. Fingers crossed!

Novel exercises

In working on my novel, I'm realizing that one working style is not going to carry me through the whole process. I started out able to write scenes in the order I imagined them appearing in the book. I got through the first few chapters doing that. Then, I got completely blocked. The idea of tackling the next chapter scared me because I didn't know enough about what was going to happen there.

So I stopped writing for a week or so. Then my husband asked me to read an exercise he was working on for a class he's taking on writing the mystery novel. The exercise entailed writing one scene, about a time when the main character felt his or her life changing very quickly. I read B's scene and was totally inspired. Not only was his scene good, it reminded me that I don't have to write a chapter at a time. I can write scene by scene. One scene! That's all I have to do to keep going.

And that is what I have been doing. Imagining one scene that I believe will occur in the book, thinking about it over the course of a day or two, and then writing it out on paper. I'm saving each as an individual Word file, organized into folders around the theme of the scenes or whose in them, such as "mother", "father", "break up", etc. That way, when I go to plug them into chapters, I can find the pieces that belong in each.

B is doing the same thing, and he's looking for more exercises to give him ideas about the kinds of scenes to write. So what do you think? What ideas to you have for exercises in scene writing?

How to start seedlings

In honor of spring, I take a break from writing about writing to write about gardening. I'm starting vegetables from seeds this year for the first time. Throughout the (long, long) winter, I did research and ordered seeds for plants found in a basic vegetable garden, including 3 different kinds of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, parsley, and lettuce.

Now that we're about 6 weeks out from the last frost around here, I'm starting those seedlings indoors. Before the seeds sprout, they need warmth more than light to germinate, so their temperory home is atop our dryer, which I will try to use once a day for the next seven days so the seedlings get some heat.














I bought a few peat cups, which you can plant directly into the ground when you move the plants outside. This helps not disturb the fragile roots that have formed. I also learned that you can make your own peat cups using egg cartons and toilet rolls, so I did that as well.













I bought seed starter mix, which I've heard is essential:














And lastly I labelled the containers so that I wouldn't mix up a sun-loving tomato with some shade-loving kale.





I'll post more pics when the seedlings sprout, and I move them under the plant light, which I plan to install in another part of my laudry room.

I love the feel of dirt beneath my fingernails!

David Foster Wallce

If you haven't read the posthumous profile of David Foster Wallace in the New Yorker, you must. It is so beautiful and touching, and it really captures just how crazy-making it can be like to be a writer. I was scared to see how much I related and empathized to his struggles.

My favorite line of the article:
“Fiction’s about what it is to be a fucking human being,” he once said. Good writing should help readers to “become less alone inside.”

That's exactly why I read--and write.

RIP, DFW.

Tired

Maybe it's the change of seasons. Or the stress of the economy. Or the stress particular to my workplace at the moment. Or the stress of adopting a new (un-housetrained) dog. Whatever the reason, I'm exhausted. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep.

And this means I'm not writing much. It's one of the only things I do that takes a lot of energy that I can easily cut out of my life. But, though I imagine life would be easier if I could be content with just coming home after work and watching TV, that's just now who I am. So it's not like I'm ready to give up and stop writing. I'm just frustrated with my current situation, and hoping it passes soon.

What I'm trying to do to keep my energy up and stress down in the meantime:

*Going to sleep early
*Eating well
*Exercising (though of course it's the last thing I want to do since I'm so tired!)

Any other suggestions are most welcome!

To Dos

Posting my lists of things to do has led me to a helpful discovery: What I expect to get done in a given time period is not equal to what I actually can get done. What I expect to do in one week generally takes me two weeks.

At work, I've had to start estimating the time a project will take before I start, in order to give a cost estimate to clients. That's a harder task than I thought at first, because stuff comes up and things change. But I'm getting better at it, and I'd like to apply that ability to my writing goals as well.

Why does it matter? Well, psychologically, it's nice to get done what you plan to get done.

So, this week, I plan to:

Finish chapter 3 of my novel. That's it.


Back burner writing tasks to keep in mind:
* Revise The Rest of Her and send it out
* Keep sending out Cartes as publications open their submissions
* Look into freelance opportunities that I've emailed to myself.

Non-writerly to-dos in the near future:
* Hang paneling in office
* Paint office walls
* Buy lights for office
* Start seedlings

Sunday Scribblings: Dear Past Me, Dear Future Me

It's been a loooong time since I scribbled. But I like this prompt and am going to use it to brainstorm from the point of view of the main character in the novel I'm working on. Here goes.

Dear Past Me/Future Me,
What the f*ck? Is this some therapy bullshit? That crap does not work, I don't care what all those shrink-a-dinks say.

Ok, that skepticism out of the way, here goes. I wish I could tell a past me to cherish my time with Carrie, that the time will end much too soon. And that things are not always what they appear. Someone who seems much more stable and happy than you yourself are might actually be way more f*cked up. F*cked up enough to take her own life. Oh, and past me? You yourself are not suicidal and you never will be, so give up on that messed up "dream" before it takes hold of you and won't let go until a monsoon-like October after your 30th birthday.

Future me? What can I tell you? I don't even know who you are. And I guess that's as exciting as it is scary.

XO,
Em

Take my breath away

The highest level of writing, in my experience, is that which takes my breath away. Literally--the words, sentence, idea makes me gasp and forget to breathe for a moment. It doesn't happen often, so I thought I'd share a paragraph that did it for me. It's from an essay in the New York Times' Sunday Magazine by Bernard Cooper:

"The only story I know is the one about Brian dying....It’s as if we met so we could be together when he dies, paid the mortgage so we could be together when he dies, sustained ourselves with food and love and hard work so we’d one day come to the realization that everything up to this point was a prologue. The story has started here, now, when time is finite."

Beautiful, no?

Writing resources: New Finds

A few writing resources I wanted to share with you all:

1. Coffee House for Writers. I was aware of this group a while back, and then they fell off my radar. But I came across them today, and their newsletter about fiction writing caught my eye. I liked their selection of articles, which cover things like writing flash fiction and promoting your novel.

2. Review Fuse. I haven't tried this personally, but it's a neat concept: You can submit your work to this web site, and it matches you up with writers of similar skill levels who will critique your work. You critique others' work as "pay back". As far as I can tell, it's completely free.



3. Funds for Writers. I get the weekly e-newsletter, which lists publications seeking submissions, grants, and writing jobs. I've found some interesting publication through it.

Weekly to-dos

I realized with pride that I finished almost all of the to-dos I posted a week or so ago. So I'm inspired to post some more to keep myself accountable.

Non-writerly (in order of importance:
Organize tax info for accountant

Put up panellng in office

Scrub down upstairs of house


Writerly

Finalize short short and send out

Continue working on novel--try to get in a few pages every day, since I realized that when I took a break last week due to my insane flu, it was harder to get back into it.

Catch up on writing exercises for class

Good links, Fun photos

I wanted to share some interesting stories about writing I've come across recently, as well as some photos of my insanely cute new dog, Rufus. (He's the gray one--Chloe is our black lab, whom we've had for 3 years.)





Last night, I heard a great piece on NPR about creativity. It was a speach by Carol Becker, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts. She talked about living the artist life--with all the fears and loneliness that can come along with it. One of my favorite parts was when she talked about how important it is for artists to play--to let themselves get immersed in something that interests them, even if it might not seem like something that will pay dividends in the near future. She talked about a student traveling (to the Mid East, I believe) who got obsessed with the many shades of gold used in the regional archictecture. He spent the whole trip photographing examples of gold, and I'm sure he gained a sense of the depth of color that he couldn't get any other way. I find myself doing this in more literary ways when I can get obsessed with the root of a word, or when I can read a novel or short story again and again, always finding something new to marvel at.

Dean Becker also talked about how perfectionism can just kill an artist, so I was intrigued when I saw this article about perfectionism in the Boston Globe this morning. Though I'm certainly not as bad as some of the perfectionists profiles, I do have my share of perfectionist tendencies. I really liked this analogy: Say you pay $2 for five minutes at a do-it-yourself carwash, and clean away about 80 percent of your car's dirt. That makes sense. Then you pay another $2 for a second round, and clean away another 10 percent. Your returns are diminishing. Then another $2, which yields only about 5 percent more. At some point, though having a clean car is a fine goal, you are clearly wasting your time and money.

And lastly, an interesting article on the copyright issues that are arising for the Kindle because it allows users to listen to e-books aloud--and it isn't paying writers or publishers for audio rights.

Horse, getting back on

One of the things I did while I was home sick with the flu this weekend was organize my submissions chart, the Word document where I keep a list of the publications I've sent to, what story I sent, if I heard back, etc.

I am one of those people who loves organizing things (I was the 8 year old who got overjoyed at buying school supplies. Trapper keepers! Rulers! Yea!). So usually I kinda dig getting by sub chart in order.

But this time, it depressed me. "Look at all those places I've submitted to--ie, Look at all those places who rejected me!" I said aloud.

Being sick is not a time when I am apt to keep things in perspective, mind you.

Luckily, my husband and Steven King saved me. Brian and I had just finished reading King's memoir/writing book, aptly called, On Writing: A Memoir. Brian quoted the part in King's book where he talks about the spike he used to keep on his desk, which he would use to impale/store his rejection letters. Brian said, "He had thousands on that spike! Thousands! You only have ten on your chart!"

Point taken. Today, with my flu receding, I am getting back on that horse. I looked at my (very well organized) submission chart and saw the list of places I still had to send to, instead of the list of places that already said no.

Best laid plans....

What's that saying about how God will laugh if you tell her your plans? Yea, she's cackling now. I got sick, and therefore have accomplished nothing today. But hopefully I'll catch up tomorrow and Sunday so by Monday my massive list will be whittled away to make room for whatever comes next....

Things to do: A follow up

I realize I often post to do lists, but don't hold myself accountable by actually acknowledging whether or not I complete the tasks. So here goes, from my list posted earlier this week:

Monday
*Finish scenes from the novel that lead up to Emily going to New York. Fail! I did write, but I didn't get as far as I had hoped. We got a new dog, and I blame his distracting cuteness.

*Do exercise for writing class Success!

Tuesday
*Go to class Success! And I got great feedback on the chapter I had submitted, which I'll blog about later this week

[Non-writerly things to do: *Call heat guys* Success! Scheduled an appointment
*Call old eye doctor* Fail--I forgot, and will move task to later in the week
*Make aptmt with new eye doctor* ditto]

Wednesday
*Continue writing novel; devote at least one hour I believe I will fail on this, since I have plans tonight, which I forgot about when I wrote this list. But I'm OK with that, as I'm really looking forward to the social plans!

[Non-writerly things to do: *Send in medical reimbursements*]I assume I will do this.

Things to do

It's been a while since I posted a writerly to do list. But I took Thursday and Friday off this week, and the only way I will not squander it watching TV and knitting is to set myself a list of things to do. Here goes:

Monday
*Finish scenes from the novel that lead up to Emily going to New York.
*Do exercise for writing class

Tuesday
*Go to class

[Non-writerly things to do: *Call heat guys* *Call old eye doctor* *Make aptmt with new eye doctor*]

Wednesday
*Continue writing novel; devote at least one hour

[Non-writerly things to do: *Send in medical reimbursements*]

Thursday
*Finish application for fellowship program; ask for recommendations
*Draft query letter for Writer's Digest magazine
*Organize short story submissions, ie, Where to send next?
*Continue working on novel
*Contact freelance referral

[Non-writerly things to do: *Pack up everything in my office to prepare for renovations*]

Friday
*Finalize two short stories that are
just about ready to send out.
*Continue on novel
[Non-writerly things to do: *Potentially put up paneling and buy paint for office* *Buy wall plastic stuff for kitchen* *Buy grout for bathroom*]

Muse and the Marketplace

I just signed up for Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace I am very excited to go to this event. I have wanted to for a few years, but it just didn't make sense when I was in my MFA program and getting similar lectures and discussions there.
But now that I am out of school, I have a perfect excuse to check it out. It's pricey, though, so I was wavering. But I ultimately decided to go for one day (Sunday) AND to sign up to meet with an agent! That's an add on (read: more money) but I figured it could be worth it if the agent and I hit it off. And if not, it'll be an experience at least. I'm sure I'll learn something.
Plus, it makes me want to have 20 really polished pages of my novel ready by April so I can give her that to read, as opposed to a short story. While I'm hoping to publish my short stories in magazines, I don't necessarily want to publish a collection of them, especially since people don't really buy story collections that often. (Not that all novels sell well, either, I know.)

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies...the book AND the book trailer!

Erin Dionne, who I have the pleasure of knowing, just published her first novel! Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies a wonderful story about a teenage girl who tries to lose weight in order to get out of participating in a modeling contest for chubby girls.

I couldn't be happier for Erin--or more excited about the many interesting things she's doing to promote the book. View exhibit A:



Go to Erin's website for more info, and some exciting giveaways!

Join me for a writer's retreat--right here in Boston!

I'm excited to announce that I'm teaching a new writing class at the Boston Center for Adult Education.

I created the class idea around the kind of one-day class I would want to attend. We'll do lots of fun exercises, talk about the writing process, and workshop some short pieces. If you or anyone you know is in the Boston area, come join me! Here's more info:

Intensive Writers' Retreat

Have you always wanted to write, but have a hard time getting started? Or have you been writing but currently feel stuck? Or do you just want to spend a Saturday writing with others? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, this class is for you. We will begin with writing exercises to get inspired and to learn about different aspects of the craft of writing, such as characterization, setting scenes, and plot. As a group, we will discuss the writing that comes out of the exercises. If students want, they can bring copies of a two or three page writing excerpt that they want workshopped. This class will mostly address fiction writers, but essayists, memoirists, and creative non-fiction writers are welcome to attend.

Dates:
Saturday March 21 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Saturday April 4 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Cost is $100 ($80 for BCAE members)

Advertise this

Yesterday I read this article, on how newspapers are taking out ads in newspapers to advertise... you guessed it, newspapers! With everyone crying out about the inevitable demise of the newspaper, newspaper editors are shouting, "Wait! Hold up a minute! We're not going anywhere!"

I like the concept of fighting back in whatever way you can. And it's not like newspapers are sitting idly by, not doing things to retain their readers. They're creating web sites, trying to make money there. The Boston Globe's site, for instance, has lots of neat features like photo essays and interactive graphics.

And I think this is what publishers of fiction and poetry should do too. Stand up for themselves, while also adapting to the needs of the marketplace.

Serial novels... and the Wovel

With so many news stories about publishing houses failing, I want to post about a possible new trend in publishing: serial novels, aka the Wovel when it's published on the Web.

NPR did a story about a woman who started a new publishing house that publishes Wovels along with traditional books. The Wovels are published in weekly installments. At the end of each "chapter", online readers can vote to decide where the story goes. They're meant to be read when you have a few minutes to yourself--you know, the many times a day when you might check Facebook or your email.

Slate just published a serial novella by one of my favorite authors, Curtis Sittenfeld. It's got a political bent, and it was posted in 5 parts around the time of the inauguration.

What do these serial novels have to do with failing publishing houses? Well, I think this new trend means that publishers are continuing to think outside the book (box) to figure out how to allow people to make money through their writing. So hopefully this will mean new opportunities for publishers and writers, not an end to opportunities for them.

Writing the Novel: Class #1

I think I'm going to like my class. My professor, Bill Holinger, seems very smart and funny (and looks just like Dennis Quaid!). And the group seems serious about writing.

As a way to introduce ourselves, instead of the normal "why are you taking this class" line of questions, he had us list a good book we've read recently. I took copious notes, so I now have a long list of books to check out. Whoo! (See below)

We also talked a lot about the process of writing a novel, and the conversation left me daunted! It's so very different from writing stories, it seems. But for the moment, I am just going to focus on getting the first two chapters revised and focused.

If you have a novel that you're revising, you might find some of these suggestions interesting:

• Put each scene on an index card and lay them out on a table in order. Read through them and see if the progression makes sense. Move index cards and insert ideas for new scenes, as needed.
• Print out the whole book, and lie each chapter on a table. Read each chapter, leaving a handwritten note atop each chapter regarding what scenes need to move, what character details need to change, etc.
  
• Tape index cards with scenes/notes on what happens in each chapter to the wall, and rearrange them as need be.

Partial list of recommended books
To Serve them All my Days (The prof recommended this one)
Brick Lane
Potato Factory
A House at the End of the World
Angle of Repose
Cloud Splitter
The Knock Out Artist

Anyone read any of these? If so, let me know what you thought!

Best laid plans...and a new class!

Well, my commute SUCKED yesterday, so I didn't get home until much later than expected. And by then I was pretty beat, so I didn't end up writing. I did finish the book I was reading (while warming up my frozen body in a bath), When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. I found the book a little hard to get into because it bounced around to the stories of many different characters. But once I got a lay of the land and could keep everyone straight, it was enjoyable. The writing was particularly good, with lots of interesting plays on words.

My goal for this week/weekend is to finalize revisions on two short stories, and make a list of places to send them.

Also, I'm starting another class tonight! It's on writing the novel, and I hope to revise some chapters of my NaNoWriMo manuscript. I'm a little nervous to be back in the classroom, week in and week out. I thought I wanted the structure that a class would provide, and now I'm scared about that very same thing. I guess we'll see...

An evening of writing

My husband starts classes this week. It means he'll be out of the house two nights a week. And I am psyched. Not because I don't love spending time with him--I do, probably a bit too much. Having him home raises the question: do you want to write this evening or snuggle on the couch and talk or watch TV? That makes it hard to get my butt in the chair.

But now he'll be out of the house, and I have to go straight home after work to walk Chloe-dog. So that means I'll be home alone with every intention to cook myself dinner, and then write for a good solid hour. Then I might reward myself with some television and knitting.

I'll let you know how it goes!

An encouraging rejection

I don't like getting rejections of any kind (see post from a few days ago). But I did learn through teachers and other writers that there is a "good" kind of rejection. I guess when editors were on the fence about a piece, they will often include a personal note with the rejection. Something like, "Nice work, please send to us again."

I got one such rejection recently from Hayden's Ferry Review. They were in my "top tier" of literary mags, so I'm proud to get a kind note from the editor. Of course I would've been prouder had they published the piece, but I'll take what I can get.

WAP: Writing Action Plan

Poet mom has a great post describing the benefits of having an action plan for writing. In her case, it's a PAP: a Poetry Action Plan. I'm adapting her idea into a Writing Action Plan, or WAP, since I don't write poetry.

Here's my 2009 WAP.

1. Get three short stories finished and into the submissions roster.
2. Revise my NaNoWriMo novel.
3. Attend Grub Street's Muse and the Market Place in May.
4. Continue writing drafts of short stories as the muse strikes/time allows (meaning goals 1 and 2 take priority).
   
5. Do NaNoWriMo again (most likely).
   
6. Get something accepted at NPR.

I have some other things I'd like to do too, including getting a few steady freelance clients, breaking into a big magazine, and teaching at a community college. And I'll be teaching a writing workshop at the BCAE that I'm really excited about. But I like the number 6. And those 6 goals are really most important to me in 2009.
So here goes.

What's your WAP, or PAP or other-AP?

Rejection: The hits just keep on coming

Dear Rejection,
I'm trying not to take you personally. I'm trying to be all Zen about you, each time you come into my email box or via the SASE that I enclosed with my submission to Some Literary Journal. I'm trying to say to you, "you're part of the process" and "the only way to not have you in my life is to give up sending my stories out." And I believe those things, I do.

But part of me still wishes you were a distinct entity that I could greet with a steel-toed kick in the crotch the next time you tried to make your way into my life. Another part of me wishes that I would never have to meet you again. Ever. And the rest of me knows that's not possible (See "the things I'm trying to say to you").

So Rejection, I will not take you personally. I will remember that all it takes to get out of you and into Acceptance is one editor who likes my work. I will make some tweaks to the story I've been sending out based on a wonderful reader's advice, and I will just keep going.

But Rejection? If you decide to stay home and hibernate this winter, I will knit you a quilt and brew you some tea to make sure you're nice and cozy.

With Grudging Fondness,
Writerbug

Cool journal call for submissions

I heard about this neat publication called The First Line. They supply writers with a first line, and you use that line--exactly as is-- as the first line in a short story and submit it to them for review and possibly publication.

The line for winter submissions is:

Herman Sligo was a bit actor who played Uncle Emil in three episodes of the popular television series The Five Sisters.

Submissions are due 2/1/2009. I'm going to make an attempt at creating a story around this line. Anyone want to join me?

Publishing Question

For those of you who have published in journals before or know about the process, can you tell me if it is as good to get published in literary magazines published by colleges and edited by the MFA students, as compared to literary journals that may or may not be affiliated with a college and that are edited by a professional staff? I'm making my list of places to send things to, and I want to "tier" it and first send to the more prestigious places, etc.

Check... and check

A snowy weekend equals a productive weekend for bug. On the writing front, I:

• Read and commented on Jessica's stories
• Sent her my stories for her comments
• Researched a few more places to send my Cartes story too (which I will do tomorrow)
• Started to flesh out an outline of my NaNoWriMo manuscript. I only got about 5 chapters in, but I think I'll stop there and start writing those five chapters because I think that I need to get those down before moving on to the next batch.
  
• Researched some writing retreats and realized that I don't want to apply to any until I have a better sense of what going will help me accomplish that I couldn't get done taking a "staycation".

I also finished a very complicated hat that I knit for a sick coworker, and a hat that I knit for my cousin (though I may have to redo that one--it depends on how much it shrank during blocking. It came out way too large for some reason...). And I wrapped all my presents and sent out a few Christmas cards. (If you don't get one, please know that it's not because I don't love you! I only sent cards to people who live far away, who really love getting mail, or who I know I won't see for a while.)

A snowy weekend

This weekend is probably going to be quieter than I planned, with the impending snow storm and all. I've given myself a writing break to allow myself to recover from the madness of NaNoWriMo and also to embrace the madness of the holidays. I'm thinking a snowed in weekend might be a good time to get started on that revision.

But where do I start? That's a question that's been plaguing me. But Chris Baty of NaNo fame (he's the founder), gave the following advice and I'm going to follow it:

Make a 10- or 20-page book synopsis that travels through your whole novel, laying out the key things readers learn and see in each chapter.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Writerly list of things to do

Among the many Christmassy things I need to do, I'd like to get some writerly tasks completely too.

1. Apply for writing residency. This weekend.
2. Send Jessica two stories for her review. This weekend.
3. Read Jessica's stories. This week.
4. Start reading TI's thesis. This week.

There are other things on my longer term list, but I'd like to keep things as simple as possible so I'll leave it at that for this week.

A fine balance

One of the lessons I learned from NaNo was that I could write for an hour or more everyday. But I also learned that I don't want to. Well, no--I would like to get that much writing done. But I don't want to give up the things I have to give up in order to devote that much time to writing.

I'm a social person. I need to go out. I also need to take care of my house, do freelance work, do volunteer work, and do other crafts. I say "need" because really, those things are important to me and make my life happy. Just like I need to write.

So here's my new plan. I'll let you know how it works out!

• During the week, my work days will be devoted to my day job and only my day job. Duh. Sounds obvious, but I can get distracted at times, as I'm sure we all can. But with the economy being how it is, I need to be more productive than ever at work.
• I'll go out 2 nights a week after work for drinks, yoga, knitting group, or dinner with friends.
  
• The other 2 nights, I'll go home and take care of house stuff and write for at least 1 hour (or take care of writing business, such as submissions).
• The leftover weeknight will be flexible--some weeks I'll go out, some I'll write.
  
• Saturdays will be my writing day. I will write for at least 3 hours every Saturday. I'll also get stuff done around the house as needed, and devote at least 2 hours to freelancing.
  
• Saturday nights will be a date night with Brian most of the time (the exceptions would be for parties we're invited to as a couple, family stuff, etc.)
• Sunday will be a more social day for knitting groups, book groups, dinner with friends/family.
  

I still need to work volunteering into the schedule. Now, I do random volunteer work here and there. Ideally, I'd like to do something more consistent, but we'll see how that works out.

If I can implement this plan, I think I'd be very happy with this life!

Good essay

I'm a little in love with Garrison Keillor. Or, more precisely with his writing and the subjects he writes about. He makes life seem so simple, even when he's pointing out what makes life messy. He seems like a man who has his head screwed on straight, and coming from a woman who often loses her head, this seems like a very fine quality indeed.

Reading his recent essay on Salon also made me realize once again why I love writing and reading so much: there is something so touching when someone expresses sentiments you have felt (and maybe not even noticed). It makes you feel so much less alone in this crazy world. And when someone expresses them as well as Keillor? That's pure magic.

How I spent my November

Phew! I was a bit burnt out after NaNo, hence my not posting for a while. I promise to post this week with some of the things I learned from NaNo. For now, I leave you with a picture that pretty much captures 99% of how I spent November.

Winner!!

I did it! I wrote 50,000 words in one month! Through all the craziness that life through at me, I wrote and wrote. It's a lot of crap, to be honest, but it's my crap and I am so very proud to have created it!

Now I'm going to give my little fingers a rest and stop typing. First, I'll leave you with the quote on the winner's certificate, which I will be printing and proudly hanging in my home and work offices.

Through storm and sun, you traversed the noveling seas. Pitted against a merciless deadline and fighting hordes of distractions, you persevered. You launched yourself bravely into Week One, sailed through the churning waters of Week Two, skirted the mutinous shoals of Weeks Three and Four, and now have landed, victorious, in a place that few adventurers ever see.

We congratulate you on your hard work, salute your discipline and follow-through, and celebrate your imagination.

You did something amazing this month, novelist. We couldn't be prouder.

NaNoWriMo: Lessons learned

I'm not done with NaNo--I still have about 14,000 words to write. (Scary! Especially considering the fact that Thurs. is likely to be a wash.) But I did want to write about one of the things I learned from NaNo.

Recently, I got to a point in my story where I felt like I was done with it. Not as in, "This novel is awesome and totally complete!" but as in, "I have nowhere else to go with this." But since I made this promise to myself and the NaNo world, I needed to push forward anyway. So I started writing from another character's point of view, just to help me get into his head.

And you know what? I realized that this story should be told from multiple points of view! That M.C trying to figure out her sister's suicide impacts the people she interviews in various, interesting ways. So that's where I'm taking the story now. I'm guessing I wouldn't have learn about that part of the story as quickly (or maybe at all) had I not made myself sit down and write when I felt like I had nothing more to say.

So, thank you NaNo!

(WriMo word count as of 8 p.m. on Monday: 37,830 words)

NaNoWriMo: I did it!

No, I didn't hit 50,000 words on Day 18.

But I did allow myself to try something new--writing from different characters' perspectives, and it felt really good! I got 2,100 words written in about an hour and a half. And I like them. (Well, I haven't reread them, but I liked them as they were coming out.) But more importantly, I like the idea of making this story from more than one point of view. So now I have a whole bunch of stuff to write, which means that I will get to 50,000 words, I just know it.

Feeling inspired as I break to go to my physical therapy appointment and then get some much needed food into my stomach.

NaNoWriMo Update

I fell a bit off course because I had my lovely friend Gracie (who has a new fabulous blog about cooking and eating) come visit this weekend.

But I skipped dinner last night and wrote 2,000 words to help me catch up. I'm at the point where I think most of what I'm writing is pretty awful and won't make it past draft 1, but the point here is just to get the words down, and that's what I'm doing.

I'm hoping to hit 2,000 more tonight. I'm hopeful that I'll finish this crazy thing, though I know Thanksgiving is going to mess me up a bit, since we're hosting a house full of family. And this internal editor of mine is coming on strong, telling me over and over what BS I'm writing. But I'm trying to duct tape her mouth and slog on through.

NaNoWriMo: Your opinion please!

So I'm coming to a blocked place regarding my novel. I know MC has one more family member to visit on her quest to figure out why her sister killed herself. But that surely won't take up 25,000 words. So now what?

There's a potential love interest brewing between her and her best friend, David. I would like to expand that, but I'm thinking there might need to be more tension there. Maybe another man comes out of the woodwork and thwarts David's efforts? Any other ideas?

What else could happen? So far, her visiting with her parents has led to a tentative kind of reconciliation between her and each of them. I'm thinking something different has to happen when she goes to visit the aunt (That's the last family member she needs to learn from.) I think what she learns from her aunt is just that living with the death of someone close to you will never get easy, but it will get manageable. Not sure how that comes out, but I assume I'll figure that out as I go. But if you have ideas...I'm open!

I think M.C. has to come to terms with the fact that she drinks too much. Not sure how to make that happen... Any ideas?

And any thoughts on what else could happen? The themes of the book so far are suicide, alcoholism, and reconciliation.

Any ideas, prompts, thoughts, direction, etc are most entirely welcome.

NaNoWriMo: Day 12: I'm getting tired

My excitement is starting to wane a bit. I think I'm getting a little burnt out. I'm not going to stop, mind you, but I want to be honest about how I'm feeling. I'll do my 1,600 words today, though I'd much rather just watch TV, clean up, and then take a bath. (I'll try to write and then do the latter two.)

I'm taking tomorrow off from writing because my dear friend Gracie is coming to town from Seattle, and Kerry and I are meeting her for dinner after work. I might not get to write on Friday, though I'll try to squeeze some in in the morning, before G and I go off to have some fun in Boston.

Then on Saturday, she's having coffee with a friend to give me some time to write in the morning. She leaves on Sunday afternoon (wah!) so I'll have time to write then. And I took Monday off work just in case I need some more hours to devote to NaNo'ing, so I'm not too worried if I fall a bit behind.

Anyway, that's where I'm at: still devoted, but glad to have some time to spend with some dear friends and to get away from this damn computer.

NaNoWriMo: Day 11: A very short post

I wrote more than 3,000 words today! So I won't be writing much more here. But I am at 21,055 words!! 21,055!! That's more than a third of the way there! Whoo hoo!!

NaNoWriMo: Day 10

I can't believe it's Day 10! And that I'm at 17,000 words! I'm pacing myself perfectly (not to jinx myself). I have tomorrow off from work, so I'm going to try to hit 20,000. That way, when Gracie comes to visit this weekend from Seattle (yea!!), I won't have to be too stressed if I miss a day of writing.

The writing is moving. I'm getting a much better sense of what this story is about--M.C. finding her way back to her family, which she has been estranged from for a long time. In doing so, she really fulfills the wish of her sister, which M.C. didn't even know about until she started to look into why Sister killed herself.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure a lot fo these 17,000 words are pure drivel. But they're words. Words that wouldn't be there without this challenge. So thank you NaNo!

PS--Check out the awesome NaNo badge I added to the blog (on the left)!

NaNoWriMo: Days 7, 8, 9

I planned a fun writing day yesterday--a friend met me at Borderland State Park and we took a long walk with Chloe the Wonderpup. Then we went back to my house, had a quick lunch, and wrote for a few hours. (Well, I wrote and she wrote/read/napped.) I got 3,000 words done, which made up for my lack of writing on Friday.

At the end of that session, I got the feeling like maybe I didn't have enough of a story to continue onward for another, oh, 40,000 words. And I started to get anxious. But this morning, I wrote my way through it. I think I have enough to get me through the week at least. And hopefully by then, I'll be able to brainstorm my way through any other block.

NaNoWriMo: Day 6

Not much to report. I got about 2,000 words in yesterday at a library-sponsored write in. I'm taking today off because the writing time I had set aside for myself is now being devoted to a friend's father's funeral instead. But I figure I can make up the word count over the weekend. (And of course I think it's important to go support my friend!) Will post again over the weekend for another update.

NaNoWriMo: Day 5

I broke the 9,000 word barrier! Which means that tomorrow, assuming all goes as planned, I'll hit 10,000 and be 1/5 done! I feel like I'm just getting into the meat of the novel, and I'm excited. I know the next two major plot points, and it feels good to have some direction.

I believe MC goes to NY to talk to the guy who was dating her sister when she committed suicide. They haven't talked since her funeral 5 years earlier, but MC wants to ask him if he has any more information now about why she might've done what she did.

From the boyfriend, MC learns that her sister had been in touch with her dad, which MC didn't know. (Their dad left when they were little and started a new family somewhere else.) MC then goes to see him. Not sure what happens after that...

NaNoWriMo: Day 4

I'm late in posting about yesterday's progress, but I have a very happy excuse, what with the history-making election and all. When I walked into my office this morning, a person who works in the building greeted me with a huge smile. He said, "I don't recognize this happy feeling in my chest." I said I knew just what he meant. And there's one word for it: hope.

As for NaNo, we had a write-in yesterday at the library cottage and a few people came, despite having to fit voting into their day. That's what I call NaNo dedication. And I hit my daily word count goal, getting to almost 2,000 words. It was, dare I say it, easy yesterday. The words just flowed. Now, they might be utter crap but that's something to worry about in December. Now, I'm just worried about keeping up this pace for 26 more days...

Current count: 8,000 words

NaNoWriMo: Day 3

This is going to be a short post because it's 9:30 p.m. and I'm behind on my novel word count. I just want to say that a huge benefit of NaNo is that I'm forcing myself to find time to write, even on really busy days like today.

Work was crazy, and my commute took way longer than usual. Then I had some freelance stuff I had to do. So I didn't get to start on the novel until 9 o'clock. If that were to happen when I wasn't involved in this challenge, I would've given up and allowed myself some TV/relaxation time. But with this challenge before me, I said, "1 hour of writing is better than nothing" and got down to it.

NaNoWriMo: Day 2

Day 2 was harder than day 1. Much. I spent about an hour crying--For various reasons, but among them was the "fact" that I just can't do this. This was after B and I looked around for a good coffee shop to write in. We were in the city, where there are a ton, but they were all crowded. We ended up in a Borders nearer to our house, but I found the space annoying. There were screaming kids for one thing.

But now I'm back home, post cry. There's a fire in the fire place, a screwdriver on the coffee table next to me, and Thai food is on it's way. I decided not to worry about moving the story forward, to just brain dump from the main character's point of view. I'm writing it as a conversation between her and her friend, David. Not sure if it'll go anywhere, but this is all about the word count, right?

So. onward, if not upward.

NaNoWriMo: Day 1

I started out the day by sleeping late and then going to PT to work on some exercises to help with a persistent shoulder problem and headaches. Then Brian and I headed over to Starbucks to get our NaNo on. I was surprised at how scared I was! I had forgotten how intimidating it can be to embark on a new writing project--not to mention the fact that this is really my first foray into novel writing.*

But with the help of a mocha, I got started. The words have been coming. They're not good. And I'm switching between third person and first. But I'm writing. And I'm grateful for that.

My goal is to write 3,000 words/weekend day, and 1,600 on weekdays. I'm up to 2,200, with the whole night ahead of me, so I think I'm in good shape. For today. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Good luck fellow NaNo'ers. Let me know how you're doing!


* I did sort of attempt a novel once. I wrote a short story, and decided to expand it into a novel. I got about half way through before I realized that it really didn't have enough of a plot to be anything more than a short story. So I revised it in its short form.