You’ve probably never heard of these things

I have a tendency to adore things that most people don’t know exist.

Movies:

Vibes
Who’s that Girl

TV Shows:

The Goode Family
Better Off Ted

Musicians:

Curtis Stigers
Billy Falcon
Junior Brown

And then there’s a very specific pair of flip-flops Wal-Mart carried when I was in college: for one year. I still have one pair that is about a millimeter away from wearing through entirely.

I gravitate toward the things that spark something different, that aren’t ‘like everything else’. The first two musicians are soulful and unique, the 3rd is just downright funny and surprising. In TV shows I love rapier wit. Both of those skewer something (environmentalism and other earthy ideals or corporate culture). The movies are actually quite bad in many ways but they are just so cute and warm.

But it’s harder to be on the fringe with the written word (at least for those of us without e-readers). I do love less-than-mainstream work. I’ve read most of Kathy Reichs but only a couple of James Patterson’s works. I love Diana Gabaldon who has many rabid fans but is not a ‘star’ at the top like others. I do enjoy a great cult read, with The Hitchhiker’s Guide topping the list.

Now I am ‘fringe’. It’s an interesting full-circle.

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To Blog, or To Write

Some aspects of my life don’t lend to choices. I have to take care of myself, my marriage, my son, and my job. Most of that’s enjoyable.

But when it comes to other things there are choices. Such as….

Write? or Blog?

For most of the time I was writing my first book I chose to write, every chance I got. My blog posts were spotty, at best. Now that the book is out I try to blog more but every post I do is a page I didn’t write. Tough choice!

If I go a day or two without a post here I’m probably getting in some GREAT writing time. Yesterday I wrote about 2k words. To sneak that in between work, end-of-summer fun, and time with the family is pretty good for me! But of course, the 2-3 blog posts already half written in my mind are still kicking around in my head, unheeded.

I’m at a good point in book two, about 50 pages in, with an exciting series of scenes. It’s FUN to write the thrilling parts. I love thinking to myself “this is GREAT!” as I furiously write the words before they disappear into thin air.

So, pardon the absences. I’m probably writing. Or I might be tickling a two-year old mercilessly.

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A good day for a swim

Enjoying the dog days of summer – A justifiable reason not to write. Or is it research?

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In a happy world

In a happy world… I could write purely for the love of writing.

In a happy world… I could tell the stories without worrying about how they might market, what groups will like them, will people actually buy them.

In a happy world… my writing would be my passion, and my passion alone. It would need no other labels like ‘author’ or ‘published’ or even ‘successful’. It would be a passion to share for joy, and nothing else.

In a happy world… I would be less maudlin

Just a quick, pensive post. Not pushing to FB or Twitter, just putting out there. My happy writing today consists of less than one page due to all the other concerns pushing into my brain. My brain can be quite tiresome, especially at bedtime. Almost every night I fall asleep with a moderately interesting TV show playing (soft narration – Modern Marvels and Investigation Discovery work wonders) just loud enough to stop the whirring cogs from replaying the day, planning the next, and so forth.

A teacher in college helped me define the problem. I forget her exact words but the gist was “Wendy, you don’t just see both sides – you see ALL sides.” That is quite exhausting and all but ensures I will never be a very decisive person. For instance: For this post, my initial ‘happy world’ statement immediately brought to mind many tangential points, such as the fact a happy world is unbalanced and the idea that ‘happy’ would quickly lose it’s meaning without a counterweight.

Focus and I have not been on good terms today.

Cheers, goodnight, and happy writing! I am off to watch James May enjoy the fun and frivolity of a modern (non-rioting) Britain with his wine-ponce mate, Oz Clarke.

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Maintaining the daily writing goal

When I am working on a book I have to be compulsive in my writing. I have to write every single day. I may only write 100 words one day, but as long as I keep it up I can keep the pace moving and not slack.

While editing the first book I didn’t do much writing. Some days I didn’t do much editing either.

Now the book is done, and 99.9% published and my attention can again return to writing.

That’s easier said than done.

For two months – April and May – I wrote every single day without fail. I would tally anywhere from 1 page to 15 pages (will explain later why I count pages instead of words) each day.

And then, while editing, I went two months with only edits and sporadic rewrites.

Now I must buckle down and write. I started book two with an outline as much for story as it was for delay. I could jot notes without actually having to craft the words and dialog. Thirty chapters in I knew delay was the only motivation left for it so I stopped.

That left me facing the task of writing a prologue. It describes events that occur about 80% through the story. I knew in advance I shouldn’t write it first but I tried anyway (after another day of delay). It was bad. It’s still there. It will be fixed later.

Chapter 1 was started, and interrupted by tech issues on Twitter (I promise, that makes sense). Last night was to be the completion of Chapter 1 and continuation in chapter two but the evening was entirely sucked dry by issues surrounding the full cover for the print version of novel one.

The point of this post is to wipe the slate clean. What’s done is done and what’s not done will be done. The daily writing goal is back, it’s in full force, and it will get done.

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The importance of technology (and customer service)

I have a feeling that my idea of the concept of “writing is the easy part” is only in its infancy. New things crop up every day that make me think “Wow, I wish I could be writing instead of doing this!”

Ideally, I would write a book, work to market it, and the structural support system would just work. (Ok, really ideal is I write and people buy and read BOOM! but you know…)

The ideal is just that…ideal. It’s not realistic. For instance, a certain retailer took six days to publish the book when their max estimation is three days (and their customer service was non-existent). In the greater scheme of things, especially for someone still unknown, it’s not huge. I wasn’t going to make a million dollars in those three precious days.

I also had very frustrating issues with technology last night, trying to put up one simple link. Every link I posted broke. It was late and I said ‘g’night’ to it all.

The problem is not in the immediate issues of “Did I lose potential readers for a day?” or “Did I annoy someone on Twitter while I tried to figure this out?” The problem is in how it affects the core of what I do – write! I lost time and it hurt my creative mindset to become focused on these other issues.

I have a feeling these are the first things to be outsourced once a writer can afford the help….

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