Happy Hump Day! I am feeling surprisingly cheerful today. Aside from the flurry of snow late last night it seems as if spring might actually be on its way. Being outside has brought me a sense of calmness that I haven’t felt in a very long time, also some more confidence, drive, purpose. I feel like I might actually have the strength and the ability to crank this novel out. I also spent the last month or so Reading. After all, February is a good reading month don’t you think? I’m halfway through my second Kim Harrison Book. I like this one better than the first, but both have been interesting. I zipped through the DaVinci Code and started two other vampire books, one by Mary Janice Davidson and one by Andrew Fox. I couldn’t get through either of them. Not really my cup of tea. One had some racial/sexual undertones that I couldn’t get past and the other played into too many stereotypes. The one thing they seemed to have in common was that the characters were stupid. I have little patience for stupid character.
I have some other books to plow through, a couple by Kelley Armstrong, some Anita Blake & Merry Gentry Books, and an anthology or two. So I think my reading month is going to spill over. But it helps to be reminded of what I like and what I don’t like.
Aside from the reading, I am doing some critiquing again. This week will mark my return to my writing group. Yea! I have a couple of short stories and chapters to read over before Sunday. I am also reading over a full length novel for one the writer’s in that group. I’ve read some early chapters, it will be interesting to see the changes and how it flows as a whole in one reading. I have faith in him though. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I took some time this past Sunday to read over the first few chapters of my novel and was pleasantly surprised. Aside from one chapter which needs to be rewritten because of some plot changes later on in the storyline, it felt like something I could pick up in a bookstore and start reading. I have been away from it for so long that I could completely detach myself from the words; it was as if I didn’t even write them, which is helpful in identifying strengths and weaknesses.
So I will try to keep you updated weekly on my progress. I can say that I didn’t get selected for the Half Price Books Goodnight to Literacy Contest. That’s O.K. I’ve got the same entry ready to be sent off to a young children’s magazine, and at least it has the potential to be a paid sale. That reminds me. I need to check on the status of a couple other submissions, waiting out there in no man’s land.
Ok, so I have to apologize because I have not been very good lately at updating this page. In fact, I have not been very good lately at doing much of anything. Do you ever wake up one morning, realize a whole month has gone by and wonder what you’ve accomplished? It is very easy to fall into a routine, and even easier to avoid taking risks. The months quickly turn into years and it can be frustrating at times because this is not where I thought I would be. Ironically, the longer I avoid writing my novel the more it calls out to me. I can’t imagine not being a published author. I can’t imagine that I would be truly fulfilled without it. Is that an outlandish statement?
So I was feeling kind of lost and decided to spend the last few weeks away from my computer. I haven’t critiqued stories for other people…I just took the time to think. I’ve been reading all kind of books, some in the genre I write, some bestsellers, some random items that have made its way into my collection and yet somehow not been read. It’s helped a little to remind me that I don’t have to write the world’s best novel, that my ideas are unique and original, and somewhere out there is an audience eager to read my stuff. This is just a pit stop and I’ve been too damn scared to get back on the bus. But this blog helps, reading your emails and comments, knowing that people are out there who want to see me succeed; it all helps to keep me motivated. So I promise to keep writing if you promise to keep reading!
So I was feeling kind of lost and decided to spend the last few weeks away from my computer. I haven’t critiqued stories for other people…I just took the time to think. I’ve been reading all kind of books, some in the genre I write, some bestsellers, some random items that have made its way into my collection and yet somehow not been read. It’s helped a little to remind me that I don’t have to write the world’s best novel, that my ideas are unique and original, and somewhere out there is an audience eager to read my stuff. This is just a pit stop and I’ve been too damn scared to get back on the bus. But this blog helps, reading your emails and comments, knowing that people are out there who want to see me succeed; it all helps to keep me motivated. So I promise to keep writing if you promise to keep reading!
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