Taking A Deep Breath...

Hi everyone! Hope everything's going well. Here's the local news from Orlando.

I've finished Calculus. I think I got a decent grade - I'll find out tomorrow. I do know I got a 90 on the final, so that gives me hope.

I have nothing to concentrate on for the next three weeks except writing - because I'm off until the 24th of August. Wow! I'm not sure how it's going to feel without doing any math. This should be interesting.

I need a good kick in the butt. Anyone want to help me with that? I've got to get my head out of the math and into the writing. Changing my mindset is proving to be a bit harder than I anticipated.

I'll accept gratefully any ideas that may be out there.

See you all on Wednesday!

Lara

Shaking Off the Heat Wave

Wow, it's been a small slice of hell for a good part of the country! Down here in Florida it's not been quite so bad - except for when the air conditioning starts to leak through the ceiling.

 Houston...we have a problem...

This is why apartment living is so great. All you have to do is call the nice men in the maintenance uniforms and things are fixed. Wicked cool. And now it is.

Started my rewrites yesterday. My prologue has changed quite a bit since some accidental research showed up some major mythological errors. Things are going a bit slower than I'd like because of my Calculus class - the whole class failed a major test yesterday. My professor's NOT happy. Oops...!

But as soon as I finish this, I'm back off to Egypt to play with dead people, werejackals, and a lovesick but possibly psychopathic immortal.

Who said work wasn't fun?

Happy writing!

Lara

Post 4th Check-In

Hi, everyone. Did you have a good holiday? I had company, so blogging and posting wasn't something I was able to do yesterday.

I'm all geared up and ready to go on some scenes I blogged about Tuesday (see below). My page count is low, but I've been getting planning accomplished.

Today is going to be about production, production, production. I'll let you know on Sunday how much I was able to achieve.

Does anyone want to race - see how many pages we can write by Sunday? Sort of like a mini-challenge?

Let me know.

Lara

Productive? I'm Not Sure...

It's been an interesting couple of days. Yesterday I did some tightening up and plotting, but I didn't produce any actual pages.

Today, though...it's been glorious. In Calculus, for example, I got 5 new scenes. That's a direct result of realizing (before class) that I need to change the motivation and personality of the female lead somewhat to make her more sympathetic and less selfish - even if her selfishness and slight martyrdom complex stem from good motives but inaccurate information.

She'll start off with more of a spine, which will solve something that's been niggling at me for a good long while. Woo hoo!

I'll let my fingers skitter across the keyboard once I get off work. I've got a lot of rewriting to do.  Hopefully, it will get me out of the problems in the middle, and it won't seem out of character for her to kill her abductor with the Traveling Shovel of Death!

Everyone familiar with NanoWriMo knows that particular implement...(insert evil laugh here...)

Have fun, and a lovely, safe 4th of July!

Lara

Goals This Round

Hi everyone! Back, refreshed, and ready to rock?

Me too. And I'm going to take the challenge to be an action verb. That's a great idea - not only for production, but to form and ingrain a new habit. And let's face it, if we want to be professionals, the first and foremost thing we have to do is...WRITE!

So, that's going to be my goal and my daily mantra. I'm putting it up as my screensaver. I've set up Penzu Post to send me reminder emails just in case I haven't put anything down that day. I'm setting it up in my Outlook as a repeating appointment - just me and my computer. What a cozy relationship we'll develop!

Now, if I can just keep the werewolves from gnawing on the chair legs when they're bored, it'll be a great challenge!

Lara

Trying For Round 3

Hi everyone! I'm going to give this another go. I think I just got a bit overwhelmed and depressed for the last month or so...I couldn't write anything and just threw everything aside. I guess my Calculus class plus teaching during the week and on Saturdays didn't help much either.

Goals? I think maybe just to do something on a regular basis. (But I sure would like to get something finished during these events!)

"I promise to try to do better this time," she vowed, putting up her hair and pulling her laptop close.

Here we go...

Lara

Masochistic Tendencies...

Is anyone out there crazy enough to get sucked in to the June clambake that is Camp NanoWrimo?

One of my "friends" pointed it out to me the other day. Now, she knows that I have enormous difficulty turning down anything that has to do with writing. It doesn't matter that I'm involved with our 80 days event. Nope. Not a bit. She's luring me into the woods with the promise of more words. I can feel her emanating her peculiar brand of treacherous glee from here.

But is it really treacherous? Is it a quicksand-ridden meadow that hides the death of plot, or something that will help me achieve my final goal - a published novel? There's only one way to find out. Be as brave as Sam Gamgee and put one foot out there, beyond anything I've ever attemped before.

So, sure, what the heck...I'll give it a shot. Two challenges at once. More words, more craziness; not a problem. I think.

The only thing I can be sure of at this point is that I'm most definitely insane. And I don't think there's anyone here who would disagree with me.

But, just in case you want to hang out in a cabin in the woods with me for the month of June, look me up. I promise - we'll have fun. And I promise - no mosquitos..

(Now if I could only make sure to get my Calculus done...)

Lara

A Whirlwind of Craziness...

Ok, here's the update on my chaotic world:

1. Got the car. It's great. I haven't been able to name it, though. I kept Serenity. She deserved more than an ignominious end in some junk yard. She's become a long-term fixer-upper project.

2. Calculus is kicking my butt. I've already had one quiz. I have another on Monday, and a major test on Wednesday. Sigh. This is NOT fun.

3. The only bright spot is my writing. I've about gotten to the point where everything needs to be printed, organized in its final form, and a first draft finished. Woo hoo! That's really the point I was aiming for, because once I know where I'm going, I can whip things out in no time. I usually see it like a movie that's scrolling about a foot in front of my face. Makes it much easier for me.

How are you all doing?

See you Wednesday!

Lara

Epiphany!

Hi everyone,

It's been something of a slow writing week. My attention has been focused on my car. Instead of doing a second transmission rebuild (along with several other things that need to be fixed) I somehow ended up seriously looking at a new Subaru Outback. Huh. Who woulda thunk it?

I made up for it today, though. While I was waiting for a student, I had a whole cascade of information that took care of my problems with the protagonist. In the beginning, she's shown as weak, but after she gets back home she automatically becomes stronger. It didn't ring true, and THAT was what was leading to my problems with my middle.

So, she's going to be strong from the beginning, and resist, resist, resist going back home until someone's life is at stake.

Even though my next calculus class starts tomorrow, my fingers really want to dance on the keyboard.

See you on Wednesday!

(And this time I'll try to make it!!)

Lara

I'm Baaaaaaccccckkkk.......

Hi everyone!

Final exams are over, and just about all of my students made it through - at least, the ones who put forth the actual effort. So, barring one staff meeting on Wednesday, I'm free for fiction! Woo hoo!!

So, in the midst of finals madness, a weak spot in my WIP struck me. I really didn't have a good reason for Hayleigh's research assistant, Nasir, to travel with her back to the US. Then I realized that her countdown for success (or failure and death) wouldn't begin until AFTER the artifact was translated. And, since Nasir is also part of the Bani Anubis werejackal clan, he MIGHT have knowledge she would need at a critical juncture. So...now he has a reason for being in Rhode Island.

I'm off to my on-campus office in about half an hour to get some work done. It's so much easier to write away from home - that way, other tasks don't take my attention from the page. Yay!

See you all on Wednesday!

Lara

What Planet Am I On...?

It's been a bit crazy this week. I pulled a couple of muscles on the sides of each legs. You know, the ones that curve from your butt to the top of your legs? Wow, talk about pain!! I walked like someone who was about 120 and lame to boot. Yeah, the dreadmill stuff didn't work so much this week. Today was the first day I was able to walk without too much pain. (And I still don't know how it happened...)

Writing? Planning? With final exams upon us, my students are grabbing all my time. I haven't done a thing. Except one. I did have a new story idea slam into my head. So I wrote that down and put it away in my file.

Exam last two weeks - they start tomorrow - and for my students they end on the 24th. I'm not foreseeing a lot of work accomplished until then.

This week I plan on pushing through the mud and getting through the exams to the freedom of the page!

Baby Steps...

I haven't gotten as much done this week as I wanted to. And I have to confess, I'd have gotten a lot LESS done if I hadn't responded to a blog entry on "high concept."

A couple of very nice people told me they thought I had a good concept, so it kick-started me into where I needed to be.

My other goal, the one involving the dreadmill, isn't going so well. I've only made it on there once.

Feel free to kick me in the butt...I can use all the asskicking I can get. Losing weight is such a hard thing for me.

See everyone on Wednesday!

Goal Revision Already!

As it stands, I have a middle that's as confused as a huge bowlful of pasta. I can't begin to write scenes until I see even a somewhat clear direction in which to go.

So...

This is going to be a planning period for me for the next little while. I'll still be using Story Engineering and The Writer's Journey to find my way. I'll do my reporting on what I've been able to figure out and where I am in the process. When (or if) I can start writing scenes during Round 2, I'll revise my goals again to add it.

I'm adding a health goal too. Everyone feel free to nag me about them - I need it! Here it is:

In deference to Johnny Depp's new role as the wonderfully gothic Barnabas Collins in "Dark Shadows," I've decided to stay on the dreadmill (yes, you read that right) for the length of two episodes of the original series per day. Netflix has four seasons on their live streaming section.

And now, I'm off to teach math. Have a wonderful, productive day everyone!

Goals and Gibberish!

Welcome back for Round 2, everyone!

My goals are going to be substantially different this time. Here goes:

One scene per reporting period (or at least 2 scenes per week).
Pre-plotting 4 scenes per week, not necessarily in story order.

And now, the gibberish portion of our morning. I've come to realize I'm more of a plotter than a pantser - by a whole lot! There are two books that I've come across - Story Engineering and The Writer's Journey. I'm going to be using these brilliant guys to keep my story straight, because as of right now, I think I've blossomed into 3 stories in one novel. Not good. And all of them can be made into a stand-alone. Really not good.

So, I'm into major planning mode.

See everyone the day after tomorrow!

And they're off...

Slowly Crawling Back from the Abyss...

I've picked up my pencil again, but the writing's not going all that well.

I think I might have a ghost dog. Maybe. I can still hear Jordan's dog tags on occasion, and sometimes I can feel him rub against my writing chair. It would be nice to still have him around in some capacity.

But a bright spot appeared on my horizon yesterday. I discovered a basic, but major, flaw in my main character and I found a way to fix it. So, that mental frequency is coming in clearer. Hopefully that will increase my productivity.

See everyone on Sunday!

Death, Again

It's been a terrible week. I've only done a couple of pages - not even one scene.

I've been taking care of my dog, Jordan, who finally had to be put to sleep yesterday. He was in third stage kidney failure, and the vet only gave him a couple of months at best. And that didn't include the other things that had begun to happen to him.

I had to give him mercy.

It's done a lot to me, though. Maybe by tomorrow I'll feel like writing. Today and yesterday, I just feel blah.

Here's hoping.

Revised Goals and Serial Killers

Reality has finally hit me on the head. And it hurt. I'm not certain when this first round ends (I am sure it will be much too soon for me), but I have to face the fact that I probably won't be able to catch up. Hence, the revised goals.

Okay. Here goes. I'm going to forget about trying to catch up. I'm just going to go on from here, but I'll still stick to my two pages per day.

I'm considering another project, one that might help my productivity in a sideways sort of way. I'll be on spring break next week, so I'm considered converting my dining room into an exercise room for my treadmill, free weights, and yoga stuff. That way, if I don't have my butt in the chair working on my WIP, I will have to be on the treadmill working in another way.

I wonder how much my complete dislike for the treadmill will motivate my writing?

I'm having a lot of fun with my serial killer werewolf. I made some changes today, and I'm really excited to get home to get more on the page.

See you all Sunday for another update!

Where Did the Time Go??

The past few days have just blown by, and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't written anything. I've been swamped with students who are trying to get things done before spring break. Time just got away from me. That, and my math class.

I was supposed to take a math test on Friday. I've been unable to figure out a particular problem, so I didn't take the test. Luckily, it's an independent learning class, so I can take the test anytime I want. As of this posting, I still haven't figured it out, but I think I have a handle on it. I'm taking the test tomorrow afternoon, sometime between 1:00 and 4:00.

After that, I can concentrate on writing until after spring break. That will be refreshing.

I think I can take some time during the break and learn to organize things better.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm open to any and all suggestions at this point.

Oh, and somehow I need to fit some exercise time in. I just saw myself for the first time on Skype. Let's just say that on a sliding scale from unhappy to horrified, I'm sliding quickly toward horrified.

See you Wednesday!

New Scenes

I had a really good day today at work. The moments between students (and there weren't many) I came up with a couple of new scenes that take place right before the climax.

In the first one, the heroine sits down and makes out her will - letting everyone know the legacies she wants to leave them. She has no hope left; she expects to die that evening. She knows there is no way to go up against an immortal who possesses the protection of a god and still survive.

In the next scene, she shakes everyone off and prepares herself before the ritual. It's only then that she actually faces her inner self and sees herself clearly for the first time. She's not happy with the revelations, but she does recognize the good things about herself as well.

Now, what can I do with THAT??

See you Sunday!

(P.S.) I'm still not caught up, but I'm still trying!

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...