It's day five of National Novel Writing Month, and I am totally kicking ass! My word count is sitting at just over 9k. WooHoo go me. And yet the plotline for this year's adventure is still something of a mystery to me.
What I do know is way outside my comfort zone. The main character is an FBI agent. Her credentials are so far outside my experience that I'm going to spend December in some heavy research. She's got some mystical overtones in her personal/spiritual life but so far nothing paranormal has popped out at me. On top of that it's a murder mystery and the bad guy is just plain icky. I had to write this scene yesterday that was totally gross. Finally there has been almost no romance. Oh there's a love interest, he's there, they've met. Yet every time I sit down to write a romantic scene it gets interrupted by the murders be it another body popping up and taking her away from him or that bad guy starts shouting in my head to be heard.
Still I'm having a blast. I've sat down and written every single day this week. It's been fun and disturbing. It has been too damn long since I've enjoyed sitting down and writing.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Ideas....
I was recently asked where I got my ideas from. My response was a somewhat flippant sounding "Everywhere and everything! Nothing and no one is safe". And I was being completely serious. Today proved it! It's no secret that I've been struggling with Mara's Story, the still untitled sequel to Three of Hearts. For the longest time I thought the story was about Mara finding her one, not unlike her sister Leslie. But she quickly set me straight. Damon and Mara's story is very different than Leslie and her men's. They've known each other forever and have even known they were mates for years. It's an interesting story.
Once I got that down the first part of the story came together quickly and I was thrilled. I wasn't thrilled for long, however. Because while I now knew what tore them apart, I didn't know what would bring them back together. I've got pages and pages of failed ideas and not quite right scenes. After months of struggling with this, life finally took pity on me and showed me what needed to happen for these two to reach their Happily Ever After. And the person who taught me that lesson was none other than my 6-year-old daughter.
My baby girl has been refusing to clean her room for awhile now, a rather common problem. And I've been going crazy beating my head against her stubborn determination to not do what I wanted her to do. Today the light bulb finally clicked on and I saw what needed to be done to get her to actually pick up a toy and place it in the toy bin and not the floor. So what did I do? This is where I'm sure parents everywhere are going to cringe but, I shamelessly bribed her. She cleans her room and we'll go see 'Ramona and Beezus' this weekend. I didn't yell, I didn't issue ultimatums, there were no spankings. Which honestly in this situation don't work. I simply sat her down and showed her the movie times, she picked one and then I said 'I need you to clean your room first. You do this and we'll have a girls afternoon, just you and mommy.' She's got half her room clean this afternoon. I about fell over, people have been telling me she's too young to do this. No she isn't she just wasn't properly motivated to do the work. And honestly it's really no different than the allowance I pay my son for completing his chore list.
Now back to Mara and Damon, they've been going round and round in circles, over the issues keeping them apart. Once I realized what worked with my daughter just might work with them, the scene I've been struggling to write came right together. I can almost see how the story is going to end and they're both much happier and easier to work with.
So you see nothing is sacred when it comes to ideas. Keep your mind open and you never really know what the Muse will toss out. I mean who knew what would work on a 6-year-old would work on a couple 20-something werebeavers?
TTFN-Elena
Once I got that down the first part of the story came together quickly and I was thrilled. I wasn't thrilled for long, however. Because while I now knew what tore them apart, I didn't know what would bring them back together. I've got pages and pages of failed ideas and not quite right scenes. After months of struggling with this, life finally took pity on me and showed me what needed to happen for these two to reach their Happily Ever After. And the person who taught me that lesson was none other than my 6-year-old daughter.
My baby girl has been refusing to clean her room for awhile now, a rather common problem. And I've been going crazy beating my head against her stubborn determination to not do what I wanted her to do. Today the light bulb finally clicked on and I saw what needed to be done to get her to actually pick up a toy and place it in the toy bin and not the floor. So what did I do? This is where I'm sure parents everywhere are going to cringe but, I shamelessly bribed her. She cleans her room and we'll go see 'Ramona and Beezus' this weekend. I didn't yell, I didn't issue ultimatums, there were no spankings. Which honestly in this situation don't work. I simply sat her down and showed her the movie times, she picked one and then I said 'I need you to clean your room first. You do this and we'll have a girls afternoon, just you and mommy.' She's got half her room clean this afternoon. I about fell over, people have been telling me she's too young to do this. No she isn't she just wasn't properly motivated to do the work. And honestly it's really no different than the allowance I pay my son for completing his chore list.
Now back to Mara and Damon, they've been going round and round in circles, over the issues keeping them apart. Once I realized what worked with my daughter just might work with them, the scene I've been struggling to write came right together. I can almost see how the story is going to end and they're both much happier and easier to work with.
So you see nothing is sacred when it comes to ideas. Keep your mind open and you never really know what the Muse will toss out. I mean who knew what would work on a 6-year-old would work on a couple 20-something werebeavers?
TTFN-Elena
Friday, July 16, 2010
Chaos
I hadn't realized it's been a year since I posted on this thing. Blogging is like journalling and let's face it I suck at both. For now a quick update post.
Three of Hearts is now at Red Rose Publishing. The cover is amazing. Red Rose is a great publishing house and I am thrilled to be there.
Been struggling on the writing front. Family life has been in full blown chaos for longer than I ever thought would be possible. Things seem to be settling back down and I'm hoping I will soon be able to write more than 100 words every two days.
Recently picked up Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom. It's an amazing book and the history on the various cards has my muse jumping up and down with various ideas.
TTFN~Elena
Three of Hearts is now at Red Rose Publishing. The cover is amazing. Red Rose is a great publishing house and I am thrilled to be there.
Been struggling on the writing front. Family life has been in full blown chaos for longer than I ever thought would be possible. Things seem to be settling back down and I'm hoping I will soon be able to write more than 100 words every two days.
Recently picked up Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom. It's an amazing book and the history on the various cards has my muse jumping up and down with various ideas.
TTFN~Elena
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Schizophrenic housecleaner
I finished Julie & Julia, which left me feeling quite bouncy. The excerpt from her next book is intriquing so I've added it to the wish list. Hee Hee that thing just never shrinks. The only thing worse than it is the To Be Read pile. Oh where was I? Right I was feeling bouncy so I did some chores. Swept the kitchen, did the dishes wiped down the counters, picked up the family room. Decided not to vaccum since I vacummed it yesterday. Then decided to water the yards, which means dog poop first, I know I'm a nice mom I don't make Jesse do it. Then I came in and plopped myself infront of the computer.
It's funny, but I've gotten very good at keeping the rooms we use the most, clean, ignore the dust bunnies please. It's not model home clean, and it never will be. I am a creative person which means there has to be chaos somewhere or I'll lose my little piece of sanity. Don't even acknowledge my craft closet if your a neat freak. I'm amazed I haven't had an avalanch in there yet.
There are rooms in my house that are cleaned daily and somewhat neat, then there are rooms that are clean and an utter mess. Like the entry way, it needs to be swept, constantly, and it rarely gets swept. Why? Because I have kids running in and out all day and I get tired of doing it. The bathrooms are rarely all cleaned at once. Scrubbing hurts my hands so if I do the showers I'm not doing the toilets and counters on the same day. There's a couple of days delay in between the two projects. To be fair the counters get cleaned the most often since I use Lysol wipes on random walkthroughs.
The front room where the computer is set up is a study in packrat-dom and kids toys. Not we need to be on Clean House clutter, but clutter. I have more books than bookcase, loads of CDs (there is no such thing as too many of these items). The overflowing DVD collection is in the family room with the Wii and other video games. It needs to be vaccumed. Tis shedding season and there are little Ishtar puffs in places. Not many since I vacummed the front room on Monday but they're starting to come back. And yes I brush the dog. You can't see the top of the dinner table, its buried in clutter. This is our drop off room. We live in the kitchen and family room. I think I'll clean it Friday when there's no summer school so I can torture both kids equally.
My concept of cleaning is a bit like that of a schizophrenic off her meds. Things get done in complete randomness. There's a logic to it. Yes, there is, I can't explain it too you, but it makes sense in my head. And the entire house will never be clean all at once. That would be just beyond words weird.
Hee, hee I'm still feeling bouncy. It's funny but I think I like blogging. The journal thing is evil, this is fun. Of course I can't get to intimate here, there could be stalker people out there. Although why anyone would want to stalk me is a total mystery.
Think maybe I'll brave the closet I need to find a baby announcement sampler.
TTFN Missy/Elena
(cross posted on myspace)
It's funny, but I've gotten very good at keeping the rooms we use the most, clean, ignore the dust bunnies please. It's not model home clean, and it never will be. I am a creative person which means there has to be chaos somewhere or I'll lose my little piece of sanity. Don't even acknowledge my craft closet if your a neat freak. I'm amazed I haven't had an avalanch in there yet.
There are rooms in my house that are cleaned daily and somewhat neat, then there are rooms that are clean and an utter mess. Like the entry way, it needs to be swept, constantly, and it rarely gets swept. Why? Because I have kids running in and out all day and I get tired of doing it. The bathrooms are rarely all cleaned at once. Scrubbing hurts my hands so if I do the showers I'm not doing the toilets and counters on the same day. There's a couple of days delay in between the two projects. To be fair the counters get cleaned the most often since I use Lysol wipes on random walkthroughs.
The front room where the computer is set up is a study in packrat-dom and kids toys. Not we need to be on Clean House clutter, but clutter. I have more books than bookcase, loads of CDs (there is no such thing as too many of these items). The overflowing DVD collection is in the family room with the Wii and other video games. It needs to be vaccumed. Tis shedding season and there are little Ishtar puffs in places. Not many since I vacummed the front room on Monday but they're starting to come back. And yes I brush the dog. You can't see the top of the dinner table, its buried in clutter. This is our drop off room. We live in the kitchen and family room. I think I'll clean it Friday when there's no summer school so I can torture both kids equally.
My concept of cleaning is a bit like that of a schizophrenic off her meds. Things get done in complete randomness. There's a logic to it. Yes, there is, I can't explain it too you, but it makes sense in my head. And the entire house will never be clean all at once. That would be just beyond words weird.
Hee, hee I'm still feeling bouncy. It's funny but I think I like blogging. The journal thing is evil, this is fun. Of course I can't get to intimate here, there could be stalker people out there. Although why anyone would want to stalk me is a total mystery.
Think maybe I'll brave the closet I need to find a baby announcement sampler.
TTFN Missy/Elena
(cross posted on myspace)
How are you?
(cross posted on myspace)
I actually wrote in that blasted journal. I've had it for a month and there's 2 whole entries in it now. Goddess I hate that thing!
I watched some of the MJ memorial today, simply because there was no way to avoid it. It was literally on every network in some form. Then by choice I watched the documentary Farrah Fawcett made about her battle with cancer entitled "Farrah's Story" (I dvr-ed it). At the end, she's reading aloud from what I can only assume is her diary about how she answered the question 'how are you?' her answer was absolutely beautiful and I wish I had written it down to type it here but the jist of it was 'I'm alive so that means I'm good.' But the part that really got me thinking was the almost surprised I'm turning tables way she than said oh how are you? what are you fighting for? It got me thinking, such a simple question, it wouldn't leave me alone so I did write it down on the corner of my cross stitch pattern.
How are you? I'm alive and relatively healthy so I'm great! What am I fighting for? Hm, now that's a harder question to answer. What am I fighting for? I don't know. Thinking about it had me pulling out that damned journal and working it out there. I discovered a few things about myself, (a) thanks to the carpal tunnel it hurts to write 3 pages, (b) I've got a surprising amount of anger bottled up, and (c) I still don't know what I'm fighting for. Unless its a losing war against dust and dirty clothes, which a certain 9 year old has taken to stashing in the bizarrest places in his bedroom. And that's not trying to make light of the question or the seriousness in which Ms. Fawcett asked it. I finally decided that there isn't a war for me to fight right this moment. But my focus right now is to learn to not over think anything and to be a fracking duck and let things said to or about me and mine to wash over my feathers and away. It ain't worth the upset stomach.
Ugh, enough serious stuff, let's talk about something fun. I picked up a copy of Julie & Julia at Target the other day. I love the previews for the movie so when I saw the book on sale I bought it. Wish I'd known there was a trade size version one aisle over. I would have shelled out the extra 7 bucks. Holding MMPB's hurt my hands, damn near everything hurts my hands now. Anywho, this is one hilarious book and it's upped my desire to see the movie by leaps. I'll probably even buy Powell's next book when it comes out. I just hope they don't pull out all the best snark like they did with 'The Devil Wears Prada'. I so wanted to see Anne Hathaway, ruin the gears of the car while banging her head on the steering wheel chanting f*ck. But it didn't happen, in fact they pulled all the really good parts out. Go read the book you'll see.
I don't know if its a good or bad thing but I have this building desire to go find a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking vol 1 or MtAoFC as Powell calls it. I don't think I'm brave enough to try cooking from it. Some of the recipes sound truely frightening. Calf hooves and brains oh my!
But it got me to thinking about blogs and whether or not people care about what I think and if there's anyone even reading this nonsense. I know the little tally says people do read what I write, which is something of a thrill. I've even gotten a couple of emails saying they like what I write, thank you for those btw. And I just contradicted myself so its time for me to go to sleep. I've made the decision to try to post some sort of rambling, if not every day than every few days.
So this has been todays ramblings.
TTFN Elena/Melissa (yes today its Melissa not Missy. I'm not feeling very Missy-esque today)
I actually wrote in that blasted journal. I've had it for a month and there's 2 whole entries in it now. Goddess I hate that thing!
I watched some of the MJ memorial today, simply because there was no way to avoid it. It was literally on every network in some form. Then by choice I watched the documentary Farrah Fawcett made about her battle with cancer entitled "Farrah's Story" (I dvr-ed it). At the end, she's reading aloud from what I can only assume is her diary about how she answered the question 'how are you?' her answer was absolutely beautiful and I wish I had written it down to type it here but the jist of it was 'I'm alive so that means I'm good.' But the part that really got me thinking was the almost surprised I'm turning tables way she than said oh how are you? what are you fighting for? It got me thinking, such a simple question, it wouldn't leave me alone so I did write it down on the corner of my cross stitch pattern.
How are you? I'm alive and relatively healthy so I'm great! What am I fighting for? Hm, now that's a harder question to answer. What am I fighting for? I don't know. Thinking about it had me pulling out that damned journal and working it out there. I discovered a few things about myself, (a) thanks to the carpal tunnel it hurts to write 3 pages, (b) I've got a surprising amount of anger bottled up, and (c) I still don't know what I'm fighting for. Unless its a losing war against dust and dirty clothes, which a certain 9 year old has taken to stashing in the bizarrest places in his bedroom. And that's not trying to make light of the question or the seriousness in which Ms. Fawcett asked it. I finally decided that there isn't a war for me to fight right this moment. But my focus right now is to learn to not over think anything and to be a fracking duck and let things said to or about me and mine to wash over my feathers and away. It ain't worth the upset stomach.
Ugh, enough serious stuff, let's talk about something fun. I picked up a copy of Julie & Julia at Target the other day. I love the previews for the movie so when I saw the book on sale I bought it. Wish I'd known there was a trade size version one aisle over. I would have shelled out the extra 7 bucks. Holding MMPB's hurt my hands, damn near everything hurts my hands now. Anywho, this is one hilarious book and it's upped my desire to see the movie by leaps. I'll probably even buy Powell's next book when it comes out. I just hope they don't pull out all the best snark like they did with 'The Devil Wears Prada'. I so wanted to see Anne Hathaway, ruin the gears of the car while banging her head on the steering wheel chanting f*ck. But it didn't happen, in fact they pulled all the really good parts out. Go read the book you'll see.
I don't know if its a good or bad thing but I have this building desire to go find a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking vol 1 or MtAoFC as Powell calls it. I don't think I'm brave enough to try cooking from it. Some of the recipes sound truely frightening. Calf hooves and brains oh my!
But it got me to thinking about blogs and whether or not people care about what I think and if there's anyone even reading this nonsense. I know the little tally says people do read what I write, which is something of a thrill. I've even gotten a couple of emails saying they like what I write, thank you for those btw. And I just contradicted myself so its time for me to go to sleep. I've made the decision to try to post some sort of rambling, if not every day than every few days.
So this has been todays ramblings.
TTFN Elena/Melissa (yes today its Melissa not Missy. I'm not feeling very Missy-esque today)
Friday, April 18, 2008
I can't believe they did that.....
I've reached the 1/3 mark on still untitled sequel to Three of Hearts. Go me!! But my lovely H and h did the one thing that always annoys me as a reader of romance novels. They raced to the nearest bed and did the hippity dippity within moments of meeting. In some cases it works, but as it's something I never did while dating it always bothers me when I read. Different strokes and such. But after 10 days of trying to make them wait, I finally let things go as they wanted it and the story's now moving at a good pace. This is yet another reason I don't outline in very much detail. I inevitably end up with a story that only vaguely resembles the outline I started with.
I'm hoping to reach the 1/2 way point by end of month and should have the story completely finished by mid May. Yay!!!! When it comes to writing I am the turtle. Slow and steady, eventually reaching the finish line.
Happy Friday!
Elena
I'm hoping to reach the 1/2 way point by end of month and should have the story completely finished by mid May. Yay!!!! When it comes to writing I am the turtle. Slow and steady, eventually reaching the finish line.
Happy Friday!
Elena
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