The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.
--Robert Cormier
I was hoping to spend only an hour or so writing tonight, but I spent closer to 2-1/2 hours on revisions to Office Relations. I was on a roll and didn't want to stop. The good news is that I feel like the story is a lot stronger. I also think it is almost ready for me to let someone else read it. I'd like to get someone else's input about whether a few lines are as funny as I think they are.
It's hard to imagine that I was worried about finding a volunteer to read it. The tough part will be deciding which of the volunteers to choose.
Once I'm done with OR, I will start revisions for the NaNoWriMo story, which finally has a working title: In Her Eyes. I printed it off, and it's 159 pages. My tentative goal is to expand it to 90,000 words. To meet that goal, I have a ways to go.
It's as hard to get from almost finished to finished as to get from beginning to almost done.
--Elinor Fuchs
I'm still working on Office Relations, and I definitely see the truth in this quote. In many ways I do feel like I'm almost finished, but there is a fair amount of revision to do.
Here's a bit of good news: I belong to a book-trading group, and several people in the group have volunteered to be test readers for me. That's one less thing to worry about. Now, I want to get Office Relations in good enough shape to send to a couple of the volunteers.
I've taken today off in conjunction with the Thanksgiving holiday. I am determined to get away from the computer for a bit this afternoon, so I will spend only a few more minutes on revisions before getting out of the house.
There is no pleasure in the world like writing well and going fast.
--Tennessee Williams
My Amber Heat contest entry is proceeding nicely. At the moment, I love how it's going. I think it's funny that right after I have this blog look created, I start writing a contemporary (not futuristic) romance. But I'm enjoying the story too much to care. The working title is Office Relations and it's about two coworkers who have been working together on a project. They don't know at first that the attraction they feel for each other is mutual.
I plowed through to the end of the story last night since I was on a roll, although I did write "Add love scene here" in the last chapter. I will write that today or tomorrow, then spend another few days revising the story.
The tough part might be finding a reader. My in-person friends don't read romance. I'm sure I could get one or two of them to read it, but I want to find one or two romance readers to take a look, too.
The most valuable of talents is never using two words when one will do.
--Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson's advice is excellent, except when one is working on NaNoWriMo. In that case, using two or three words instead of one is quite appropriate to reach the word count. As long as the text is cleaned up after the word count has been submitted, that is.
I am closing in on the end of my NaNo project. I have reached 48,911 words. I have also run out of story, so I am now going back and filling in the detail of the last four or five chapters. They are quite sketchy, so there is plenty of work to do on them. At this point I am still not trimming words (see Jefferson's quote above). I'm adding words, primarily description. I tend to be a minimalist in my first draft.
I'm starting to notice contest possibilities. Marjorie M. Liu posted a link to the Barclay Sterling contest, while Sylvia Day linked to the Amber Heat Wave contest. My NaNo story wouldn't work for the 5,000-12,000 word Amber contest, but I came up with a new idea and have started another story that should fit into that word count.
Yes, you read that correctly. I have started working on another story when I haven't finished the futuristic for NaNoWriMo. But I had this great idea . . .
Anyway, I know there are highly diverging thoughts about writing contests. Some people think they are terrific, while other writers say they aren't worth doing. For now, I'm planning to give both contests a try. I'll see what I think about the subject afterward.
I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged. . . . I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.
--Erica Jong
First things first, my blog has a new look! I'm very pleased with the results. I worked with Mia at Ciao! My Bella, and told her I wanted something with a futuristic look. She sent me a link, I chose a picture to work with, and you see the results here. I love it, and I recommend Mia's work if you want a custom blog design of your own.
As for my NaNoWriMo writing progress, I'm closing in on the ending, and I am having a hard time writing it. I believe the reason is partly that once I finish, I have to go back to the beginning and revise. The thing is, I like revision, and I know I will have fun going back and adding details. So it's not really something that should keep me from finishing. But I am definitely having a more difficult time with things. I'll have to think about why that is. After I finish writing it.
Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.
--Flannery O'Connor
My hair isn't falling out, nor are my teeth decaying (that I know of). However, I did wear a tiara while writing today. It's a long story, so I'll try to summarize it. I work in an office where women outnumber men 5 to 1, maybe even more. A few years ago, someone started a ritual where we wear tiaras once a month or so.
My tiara broke, so I decided to buy a new one. I received it in the mail today and decided to wear it for fun while writing. I exceeded my goal today. Coincidence? I don't think so. LOL!
I probably won't wear it all the time as I write, but I figure if my teeth decay because I write novels, I could wear the tiara as a diversionary tactic.
A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word to paper.
--E. B. White
I had a hard time writing yesterday. The words just weren't coming. I'm ahead in my NaNoWriMo project, but my goal is still to write at least 1,667 words a day. I struggled through it, then went looking for quotes about writing. This one by E. B. White seemed perfect. The conditions for yesterday's writing session were far from ideal. I was tired and frustrated. But I got through it, and I am back in writing mode today. I hope to hit 40,000 words this weekend.
Today I also picked up next week's TV Guide. I have my 3-D glasses ready for Monday's episode of Medium, my favorite show on TV. I'm really looking forward to it.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
--Jack London
I'm venturing into the world of author blogs. This blog will be where I discuss balancing writing with a full-time job. I'll also write about my progress. I am currently unpublished.
My current work in progress (WIP) is a futuristic romance. There's a mystery element to it, but romance is the focus. I am participating in National Novel Writing Month, and I'm on track to meet the 50,000 word goal. Participating in NaNoWriMo has been wonderful, because it has forced me to go home and write for a few hours each day after work. I won't be able to keep up that pace after November, because right now I only have time for work, commuting home, and writing. Everything else has been completely ignored.
Right now, I'm simply following my outline. I will fill in with more details and description once I'm done. Writing the mystery part of the plot has been challenging. I know it needs a lot of work. The characters are too passive, not putting the clues together themselves. I'm not sure how well I've written the clues, so that's something else I will focus on later.
In the meantime, I have another 1,667 words to write each day.
