Current Project: Cast
Status: thinking...
My check in is easy. A Baby Between Them is gone (and all I can think of is all the things I left unsaid, undone, unfinished) but I need to write the Cast of Characters by Monday so that's what I'll do today. I have to admit I kind of crashed after the book left the house on Wednesday -- I think between finishing it, early hours with the pup and my mother's illness, etc... it just got stressful. So I'm also trying to take it easy today and hang out which I haven't done in awhile.
I'd love to hear how all of you are doing.
16 comments:
CONGRATULATIONS on finishing the book, Alice! (But we knew you would. :)
How is your mom doing? Is she out of the hospital yet?
I think everyone knows my focus is getting non-writing pieces of my life wrapped up so I can have an office with lots of wall space and spread out to work on my nine-book series. In the meantime, I keep adding to my notes about these books. I'm really excited about this series!
I'm also brainstorming another novella--this time for St. Patrick's Day 2011 and co-writing it with Chris Kraemer and Chris Young. We talked about it a bit at the meeting last Thursday. It includes a feud that no one remembers the cause of, faeries and other fae people, and a time machine. It will be fun!
Congratulations, Alice!!! That's wonderful! I hope you get a relaxing day, it's well-deserved! I did some character brainstorming - I need to strengthen how well I know my characters and hopefully that will help me finish the book. They just aren't jumping out at me so I need to fix that and maybe new plot ideas won't keep interfering. :)
Congrats on getting the book done and sent off, Alice! I love your status: ...thinking. :) I should do some of that, too.
I just submitted an essay for Chicken Soup for the Soul's Book of Miracles. It had been so long since I'd written an essay that I had to enlist the help of an expert. Danita came to my rescue! :) She was a huge help and I think my little essay may have a chance.
How's the puppy and how's your mom? Have you shown the pup to Mom yet? I imagine they have strict rules about bringing animals in, but I'm just imagining the smile on your mom's face at getting to hold the little bugger.
Sounds like everyone's busy this weekend. Man, it's hot over here. I don't feel like doing anything.
Hey Genene--Your new collaboration does sound like fun. You three must have a wonderful, fulfilling, complimentary writing thing going on. I'm envious!
Lisa-- Your plan to become totally invested in your characters sounds like a good one. I hadn't thought of it in that way for awhile, but I think you're on to something. Good luck!
Karen -- Puppy growing like a weed. SAhe's still kind of a crazy girl and seeing how hot it is, any visit to see mom would have to be indoors and I think Bonnie would freak out some of the folks as she's too crazy (took her to Saturday market in our little town and she was so excited about every dog and every human she was a royal pain.) The rules at Mom's residence are very liberal -- they're very into life enhancing experiences. My daughter has a dog like Paty's Tink and he's a big hit but he's older and a little calmer.
And Mom went home after a couple of days -- she's doing very well (I think she's going to outlive me.)
Go Danita, way to help!!! Karen, please keep us posted on your essay -- that's very cool that you're doing that. What's the essay about?
And once again, on this public forum, congratulations on your win in the Hearts Through History contest!!!
Hey, Alice!
Our new writing venture will be my first time co-writing with anyone else. We've been critique partners for awhile, though, so we are familiar with each other's writing. And the way we're planning this shouldn't be a major change in style for any of us. I'm looking forward to this new project!
I know how wild puppies can be cuz I got me one. But she's much, much better now. Eight months old! I can hardly believe it. I still worry about her jumping on people sometimes. She gets so excited to see people and other dogs, though she's surprisingly gentle with little kids. She rolls over on her back to have her tummy rubbed. Very cute.
The essay is about an old skydiving adventure I had in college.
Chicken Soup is doing a book on grieving dog owners and cat owners. I'm going to write an essay for that one, too. I think it will be cathartic for me.
How cool that your mom's residence is liberal about doggy visitors. I'm sure they bring much joy to the folks staying there.
Alice -- congratulations on finishing the book! And that's great news that your mom is home and doing well.
I came back from the conference with a lot to think about. I had some important "Aha!" moments (or really, for me, "d'oh!" moments) during the conference. Things that I should have known (and do), that just hadn't registered until then. The biggest one had to do with things happening by coincidence in the plot. I kept deceiving myself by telling myself it was serendipity, but really -- no.
So, now, I'm replotting those bits and making sure things happen for a reason. Better to figure it out now, than to get further in and realize it just wasn't strong enough.
Karen -- You give me hope! All I have to do is hang in there for six more months.
Fingers crossed for essays. You know, you're the real deal kind of writer, the kind that tries everything and makes extra money by taking your writing in whatever direction works while still keeping your eye on your ultimate goal to continue to publish fiction. I really admire that.
Deborah -- I can't think of all the times I've sat back and reviewed a situation and thought to myself that it was all way to coincidental to ever be believed in a book. If anything, most fiction needs to be more cause and effect than real life.
I wrote a story several years ago from two points of view (his and hers) about a first meeting and how it all happened because I was so taken with the fact that every conclusion or event in our lives involves a previous pattern of timing and behavior, etc... in order to occur. I still fin d it fascinating how two people from two places in the world happen on the same beach at the same time of day or the same intersection....
But the truth is it happens all the time and went condensed down into a she went there first, he spent an extra ten minutes washing his car so... it just gets silly.
Me thinking out loud.
So glad the conference gave you some insight.
Alice, that's so sweet of you to say! Writing is writing, and I love it all! I'd like to try my hand at journalism next and plan to shadow Danita sometime soon to see how it's done. :)
I hope you're crate-training Bonnie. It's a fabulous training tool and really helps calm a feisty pup. Kinsey loves her crate and retreats to it whenever she's tired instead of driving us nuts like an over-tired toddler.
Karen -- Yes, she is crate trained. Goes to bed there before we can put her to bed... and I totally understand the over-tired toddler scenario.
Btw, she is twice as big as she was two and a half weeks ago -- ack!
Good for you on the newspaper thing. Danita will be a great source.
Alice, congrats on finishing the book and your mother's recovery.
I've been in Princeton. Spent Saturday moving 800 pound bales with a back hoe.
Lori loved the rewrite I did on the ending of the book so I am now sprucing that up and plan to send it to my editor tomorrow.
I've been doing a lot of stewing and brewing on the Romantic suspense I'm plotting and the two novellas. The novellas will be written first, but the RS is becoming more and more clear to me and I am anxious to get going on it.
I know that this thread is dead for the week now, but I *need* to get hard on myself, so I'm making my goal anyway.
I need to get my YA entered in the Golden Pen and Golden Rose by the weekend, and get the contemporary ready for the Golden Rose at least.
What are you talking about, Wavy? This thread is never dead!
Okay, you have four days to get your YA ready to enter in the Golden Pen and Golden Rose, as well as the contemporary for the Golden Rose. It's out there now, everybody is reading this. Picture us standing by the track, "Go Wavy, go Wavy!" (I believe we are jumping up and down, as well.) Go forth and conquer. No excuses.
The cheerleader from hell.
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