Mar 6, 2008
Memory is a selective thing. Mine is not what it once was. I do okay with the kids’ names at my high school library, because I have to look at them, hear them say their name, then type it in to the circulation desk computer. It seems it takes three senses for everything to be branded in my brain. It’s not because I’m a complete fluff-head; I used to be pretty smart. I started college when I was fifteen, the same age as quite a few high school freshmen. But now everything needs to be written down if there’s any hope of me remembering to do it.
But memory is a selective thing. See above. If you repeat things, they stick with you. And it’s weird what sticks with you. When I was a senior in high school, there was this guy who sat in front of me, Paul Korn. Everything was alphabetical then, and my maiden name was Lanman. He did this nifty thing when he signed yearbooks. He took names and then started a word with each letter to make a silly sentence. Mine was
Maggie
Always
Goes
Giggling
Into
Everything.
True? I guess it was. I’m not sure it’s true now. I read an article somewhere about a minister who encouraged his congregation to stop complaining for a stretch of time. They had purple rubber band bracelets to remind them to switch wrists when they did complain, and then they had to start the count all over. I’d probably be getting whiplash changing sides. Not only do I complain, but I’m not always going giggling into everything either.
So this post is turning into a complaint session about writing, circuitously but surely. Right now, I’ve had a requested full manuscript on an editor’s desk for over five months. Playing the waiting game. Wondering if I should send a gentle reminder. Thinking my SASE went into the shredder with the rest of the paper. Just worrying out loud. What’s your frustration? Let’s snap those virtual purple rubber bands. What’s your silly sentence?
The man with a clear conscience probably has a poor memory. ~Author Unknown
Mar 3, 2008
Yes, I do know how to spell “done.” This is a tribute to my youngest daughter who, when she graduated from college Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude, taped those three letters to her mortarboard with masking tape. It was her birthday the other day, and she’s never far from my thoughts. None of my kids are. Here they are (#1 son is missing), so nobody gets jealous. The birthday girl is on the right.
But I wanted to say that
Waking Beauty is all boxed and ready to go. It went from a 93,000 word mess to a sleek 67,000 word manuscript. Whatever happens, it was worth the month of revision. And while I’m at it,
Paradise is getting its turn next. I was somewhere in the middle of revising it when I had to whip WB into shape, and the difference in my writing style and content could not be more different. My only hope is that when I’m finished, I’ll still remember how to write new stuff. There are a whole bunch of starts on
Begin As You Mean To Go On (Goon, for short) that are clamoring for those sultry, significant words
The End.
So I guess I’m not really d-u-n. But I am trying to stick to one and get it done. How about you? Do you have more than one work in progress? Do you read more than one book at a time? Do you give yourself permission to walk away from writing for a while, or stop reading altogether?
Feb 29, 2008
This winter seems endless. We have snow on top of ice on top of snow on top of ice. Every time we get sand dumped on our driveway, it costs $50. I’ve hardly left the house except to go to work. Just walking to the car is perilous, and even with 4-wheel drive, I’m slip-sliding away. I’ve had so many snow days off from school that I’ll be going until July. Plus, I don’t get paid for them, only when they’re made up. So June looks flush, but January and February have been frugal.
You’re reading this, bored out of your mind. It’s like the weather conversations in a romance novel, the protagonists killing time before they kiss. And how, you are asking yourself, is she going to tie this to writing?
I’m big on turning negatives into positives. My hermit-like existence has been good for my writing. This enforced indoor seclusion has made revising Waking Beauty less avoidable. It should be finished this weekend. But what will I do when the mountains of snow disappear and the robins are bobbin’ on the lawn? I may be tempted to stop typing.
Are you more productive in winter, cocooning at home? Want to complain about anything? Grumble away.
Winter is nature’s way of saying, “Up yours.” ~Robert Byrne
Feb 26, 2008
Spy satellites have revealed the remains of ancient Mayan ruins from outer space. Archaeologists are now excavating buildings, murals, precious remnants of a dead civilization.
I feel much like an archaeologist myself. I’m still chopping vines and swatting bugs as I revise the jungle that is Waking Beauty. Right now, I find little beauty in the process. Underneath the detritus are good bones, but I really need my own spy satellite to unearth the best stuff. Sometimes I think it would have been easier to construct a brand new pyramid. *g*
I am actually unwriting, since the editor has requested a much shorter manuscript. I’ve killed off countless characters and scenes—over 25,000 words and I haven’t shed a tear. By far the most fun I’ve had is with the “find” search of Word. I typed in “ly”—and lo and behold, about 25,000 adverbs popped up. I’m exaggerating slightly. See, I’m still adverb-prone.
It’s taken almost four weeks from the time I won the contest to where I am now—which is almost finished. There’s a ream of paper, a new ink cartridge and a priority mail envelope ready. Then we’ll see if WB is ready…or rejected.
Aside from adverbs, I forbid myself to ever type the word “blush” again. What’s your bad writing habit? What drives you crazy when you read?
I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard
Feb 22, 2008
We all love a tortured hero. This poor guy looks perplexed. Pained. Puzzled. Positively pensive. Just for fun I thought you could write my blog for me. Has Caterina kicked him to the curb? Has he lost his car keys? Killed his cat? Tell me what he’s thinking.
And check the
Vauxhall Vixens this weekend when we unveil the very first of our historically hot heroes. You can decide if he is worthy to walk with into the pleasure gardens!
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. ~M. Kathleen Casey
