The Fog is Lifting...Slowly

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Roommate is still stuck in bed, alternately snarling at the necessity of being in bed and moaning in pain. He's beginning to see the light, because the pain's finally gone down some. Good for him! (Note to self: never fall over backwards due to backing up and not seeing the rolling chair behind you. It's not good for your balance and your long-term health.)

My friend Olivia and I have spent a lot of time at Starbucks and Hooters since my last check-in. She's cranking out words like nobody's business - she's got over 30,000 just this month. But she's a pantser. Livvi is adamant about not trying to fashion a skeleton or musculature to hang her story on. She's just going for it. I admire that. But whenever I try it, I always get muddled, somewhere around the middle. And I usually have more storylines than I know what to do with.

Livvi's probably some sort of writing goddess in disguise who won't have to do a lot of rewrites. Me, I would. That's why I'm still plodding along with my Story Engineering. And I've made some progress.

For anyone who's using that method (and I know there's a few of us) I'm having a lot of fun with the "what if" questions. I've explored a couple of different things that didn't occur to me before, and I found a couple of things I needed to fix that way. It tightened up the overall plot a bit (for now), and since I've had to cut something I thought had real potential I might get another book out of it. Maybe.

On a different note, Livvi and I are at Hooters right now. We've had lunch, and are fueled with food and caffeine such that we can easily last several hours here. Woo hoo!  But something...off...is going on. We're in a booth, under a fan. Two men sat in the booth behind us. I'm sharing the side that their booth is on.

Now, I know we're mammals, and mammals are methane-producing creatures. And that's not the only odoriferous thing we produce. Sulfur is another. And I bet if this man's lunch break goes on much longer I'll discover more. Phew! This is a day I wish I had a wicked cold!

Oh, well. Maybe I can use it somewhere...in something...

In the meantime, happy writing all. See you Sunday!

Lara

Free Therapy

Y'know, writing is therapy you don't have to pay for. And, if you spill your guts, it may even pay you.

Sounds like a good deal, right? (No pun intended.)

All we have to do is bleed copiously for the amusement of the reading public. That takes bravery, honesty, and luck. But not the kind of luck you think.

We're really lucky to be living in the midst of all these crises going on right now. Readers want to get involved with characters they can identify with, and who they can see fighting against tough odds. And winning. That helps them feel like winners, too.

Ultimately, we're charged with a sacred trust - tell a good story that people can believe in. It's awe-inspiring and exciting, all at the same time.

On a personal note, I've been going through a lot of crap lately. And I can't resent it. I can only be thankful because it provides such rich fodder for fiction. That's a true gift.

I spent several hours with a writing friend of mine yesterday, and I was able to make my pages from Wednesday to today. Whew! I'm still working on the catch-up, though.

I slipped into editor mode and cut some things that I didn't feel comfortable with. I thought some scenes/chapters slowed things down. I prefer to jump into the middle of things, so that's what I went back to doing. I feel better about the pacing, but it's gonna take a helluva rethink for some other pieces.

So, back to the salt mines!

See everyone on Wednesday...