Dreams

Take a dream or goal in life you would die for. Write the story. That's what I did.  My dream came true for me, but way later in life than I had hoped. My book "GENTLE REBELLION" is that book. It is a fluffed up, never happened memoir.  It is the original dream. There is little reality in this story, but all the excitement that feeds a young man's ego.

The buzz phrase of writing is WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. What do you know better than your dreams.

Try it. This works for articles and shorts, as well as novels.

Endo

It is frequently enjoyable to come to the end of a writing project. There are four, count them, four on the shelf. I have enjoyed all four. Now I have a problem. WHAT'S NEXT?

There are 18 ideas in my notebooks.  Which one? I have not fleshed out the basic, one page plot line for any of them. The one sentence idea is there.

My solution - I will take the one I relate to best and just start writing.  Somewhere along the path to the end I will find a beginning.

Go write, quit hanging out on the net.

NaNoWriMo 3

YeeeeeeHaaaaaaw. I made it in my first year on NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. 59,000 words + in the 30 days.

How did you do? One word is a good start on that book that is in you. Old Chinese Proverb - The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. I don't know why we always quote old Chinese Proverbs, but they sure do come in handy when you need an authority for reference.

Okay, so you have some words that were put down in a hurry. What now? You may be so good that this doesn't apply to you, but the rest of us have a lot of editing to do. I looked back over the first five chapters of my effort and realized it is going to take a lot of work, not just in spelling and grammar, but in continuity and just plain prose, to make it work as a story, let alone a book.

The first thing is a time line with the characters accounted for, or else you have a character in two places at the same time or almost dead in one scene and kicking butt in the next, two hours later.  Might work for Batman, but not my heroine.

The second is continuity of location, people, times, clothes, etc. as you go through the story. Notes under your timeline will help with this.

My third thing is dialogue. Make it fit the scenes and keep all the superfluities out of your characters' mouths.

If this helps you, feedback, please.

Keep writing.

First day NaNoWriMo wordcount

I am hyped. 2923 for a first day word count. I am not done yet,either. If I can go over 3200, that will be a new personal record for one day. Tomorrow, lookout fingers.

Of course my neck and back are killing me. Computer screens and bifocals just don't really mix. Next prescription I get one pair bifocals and one pair with just reading. Oh yeah, my wrist acts like carpal tunnel is setting in. I bashed it two weeks ago and all this typing is killing me.

Does anyone know a really good voice to type program? Every app or program I have tried couldn't keep up with a pronouncer at a junior high spelling bee let alone with on going conversation.

Good writing to the rest of you.

NaNoWriMo

There is a very real possibility that I will not be posting for the month of November as I try, emphasize TRY, to write 50,000 in 30 days for National Novel Writing Month. www.NaNoWriMo.com.

Finished first draft of Gentle Rebellion and have begun the November project, Vengeance. It is already not cooperating. The movie theater in my head is not playing this one as clearly as Blood on the Zuni or Gentle Rebellion.

My theological parable is returning from the first reader today, finally. There were a lot of references and facts to check in that one, Puzzling Theology, and it took by dear friend and critic a while to wade through it. Not that it was dull, just the checking. I hope.

Blessings on you and work out those fingers every day.

Rejections

Looking over the Writer's Market it seems like the Publishers (of whatever) really don't want any new writers in their stables.  Either that or they are just trying to keep the agents busy and out of their hair. One book publisher whose website I checked out, as requested in the Writer's Market (WM), stated flatly that any unrequested manuscripts would be trashed and not opened. Another had the comment in the WM they would accept email submissions to a certain editor on their website. The email address doesn't work. There was another one that didn't even want query letters.

I guess it's just like a fella having a stable full of really good horses. He doesn't need to buy any more. Why waste the time and money looking? What happens when the rustlers come and steal them or they die of a rare tropical disease or they just disappear when the UFO comes and beams them up? NO HORSES. Panic time when he needs a horse.

Now, I don't whinny, but I do write. I have been fortunate enough to get published a few times. If I can write a story or article well enough to get them published and get paid, why can't I interest an agent or a publisher with a query letter or a manuscript?

Did you ever go to a used car dealer? Listen to the salesperson's description of the car. Is the car as good as the salesperson says it is? Is it even the same car?

Okay, I'll quit whining and get to work.

Join me for NaNoWriMo. This will be my first try.  50,000 words in 30 days, piece of cake (if I have nothing else to do in November), but I am going for it using my new best seller, VENGEANCE, as the project.

So, keep writing.

NEW IDEAS

AHHH, YES, four days in the God's creation will definitely give you new ideas and clear the cobwebs.

Hiking down the trail from the North Rim toward the river 6000 feet below does two things for you. First is it kills your knees and thigh muscles. The second is a lot of time to think.

Hiking or just plain being parked somewhere in God's creation for a couple of days does wonders for my mental health. It seems to get all my boxes realigned with all the proper ideas in their correct box. Also, it let's me be creative mentally. The killer on this walk in Creation was that my digital recorder was broken and I didn't get a new one before I left. So, I had to stop and write things down, which was a plus. It gave me a break to breathe and a time to see the scenery and smell the flowers, many were in bloom due to recent rains.

Bottom line is that I now have many ideas for the projects in progress and a stack of new ideas for new projects.

This therapy was so good I got over 2500 words written the day after I got back.  IF (terrible word) I could do that everyday, I would have a 100,000 word novel written in 40 days. 40 days sounds good to me.

Now I will get writing. How about you ?