10.28.13

Chicken soup for dinner, and a writer brunch to start the day - these are the kinds of bookends I love!  One of the cool things about Nashville is the writers. We have them in every genre, every level, and there's a huge camaraderie amongst us. Today I got to meet with a bunch of our awesome YA writers, and meet one I've been fangirl stalking from afar, and I'm telling you, their enthusiasm for their work is contagious. I'd love to write a YA. *twists evil mustache evilly*

I was girl, interrupted today with a number of issues, so it's back to work on the book tomorrow. I love waking in the morning with a solid idea of a scene in my mind - the characters are starting to speak to me. It's interesting, how books go at their own pace. You can beg and plead, pray, burn incense at the Muse's altar, bang your head against the wall, take long walks, read inspiring books, but if your novel isn't ready to party, it's just not ready.

Possible kitten news tomorrow or Wednesday - we've got a litter of babies due at the shelter, so I'll let you know what we find. I did see an adorable tabby on Saturday, but she didn't seem that into us. I feel like there needs to be a connection. Of course, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her, so maybe there was more than I knew. Hmm...

Sweet dreams! 

10.25.13

A good Friday - 1500+ words, a brief compile to see there's actually over 50 pages, though many are just brief outline, but still, there seems to be a nascent book here. Finding the places where everyone lived was a big boon - if I can imagine characters in their own homes, I can get a sense for their lives, their thoughts, their actions and reactions. Pleased with how everything floated together today.

And did spend some time looking at kittens online. I may try to drag Randy to the shelter and see if there's a little one who wants to come home with us. I'm scared, yes -- there will never be another cat I cleave to like I did Thrillercat -- but I'm missing having something soft and cuddly in my lap. So it's time. I thought perhaps God would leave a kitten on our doorstep, stork-like, but it hasn't happened, so I will have to brave the cages. I'm already anxious - seeing animals behind bars without someone to love them pains me to an extent that's beyond reason. 

Went for a brief walk at lunch. October in Tennessee is spectacular: skies so blue they make your eyes hurt, without cloud or breeze, just the crisp air and azure as far as the eye can see. Which here, isn't very far, but hey, I'll take it. If I can stay awake past 8:00 p.m., we might even have the first fire of the season. 

Sweet dreams!

10.24.13

Research day today. Part of creating a new book is creating the world the book resides in. And since the Brit in the FBI books are based in New York, there are housekeeping things to manage, like... where does everyone live. Where are the crime scenes? What do they look like? What's the neighborhood like? Where are the bars and groceries?

With the Taylor books, I know this stuff intrinsically because it's my backyard, and if something is questionable, I can just hop in the car and drive to the scene to see what things look like. Not so, this. I'm very grateful for the extensive New York real estate sites, and Google Earth.  

Had lunch today with my dear friend Blake (after being shot up like a pincushion at the Dr. - flu shot, measles booster, blood draw - OUCH!) and over a lazy margarita, we were discussing the whole it's hard to get started on a new book phenomenon. I was trying to explain it, and happened upon a decent analogy.

Starting a book is like moving house. It's a totally new adventure, exciting and fun, but there's also all the annoyances -- not sleeping well because of the creak of the steps and strange noises of the new house settling, having to find your way around your new town, finding a new doctor, dentist, hairdresser, school... All these things take time, and energy, and until you have them, and maybe even some new friends, you don't feel totally settled. And even then, it takes a while to really start fitting in, to feel comfortable that you're in the right place.

That's exactly how I feel every time I start a new book. Even unpacking my treasured items-- the characters I know and love--is a chore, because there is so much work to be done, and so much I don't know.

So it was fitting that today was consumed with finding everyone a proper place to live, n'est-ce pas? 

Big writing day ahead tomorrow, now that I'm finally starting to settle in. Now, where did I put those wine glasses?  

Sweet dreams!

10.23.13

Excellent writing day. Only 1000 words net, but realized what the problem was with the beginning. Cut that chapter entirely (ruthlessness is the only way to approach these things), reworked the rest, and suddenly, voila, we have the beginnings of a book. It's always rather amazing to me how a story will let you know when you're off on the wrong foot.  I have had this happen more than once - I am trying to force something into the story, and it's reacting like Mr. Yuck, spitting it back out at me.

Plus found some really cool technology that made its way in. I had already bookmarked a few things when I first started thinking about this story -- by bookmarked I mean ripped the page out of a magazine from a flight earlier this year -- but there have been advancements in this particular field, so I was able to learn a bit, and add it all together. Nicholas Drummond is a computer expert, a hacker extraordinaire, so it's a lot of fun to get my hands on the things he might use to enhance his work.

Still not back on US time. Went to bed at 7 last night and got up at 5:45 this morning. I will admit, it's rather fun to see the sun come up - not a normal state of being for me at all.  Things are rather quiet around here anyway. Once Randy left for the office, and the house settled into silence around me, I sat drinking my tea and realized I am missing my morning views of loch and glen. My neighbor's pool just doesn't have the same mystery about it.

Perhaps I'll go read something set in Scotland...

Sweet dreams!

10.22.13

1200 words today. Actual, quantifiable progress. I'm still not happy with them, but they're there. As I always say, you can't edit a blank page. I stopped early because I'm trying to train myself into a new writing schedule so I don't spend all day sitting in my chair staring at the screen.

This new schedule includes getting up earlier, working in the mornings, and stopping my writing day at 3:30 or so. Which leaves me some time in the afternoons to exercise, and read. I'm seeking a better life balance. I got myself way out of whack over the past several months, with frenetic 12 hour days trying to meet multiple deadlines and weeks at a time on the road. No more of that.  

I started reading Dani Shapiro's STILL WRITING at lunch today. I adore her style, her words, her perspective, her stories. Reading her blog is always like a breath of fresh air to me--she has a beautiful life perspective, yes, but is also a very quiet writer. What do I mean by that? She writes with great impact without drawing a great deal of attention to herself. When she speaks, I listen. She doesn't seem to waste any words; everything is purposeful, remarkable, meaningful. In short, she does something I can't, and so I respect her greatly. If I ever decided to write a memoir, she's the first place I'd go.

Sweet dreams!