The Pity Party Is Over and I'm Feeling Better About This Whole Writing Thing Again (for now)
It has been one week since I've looked at my Gallery of Lies beginning. It's been on my mind, and I've been thinking about new directions to go with it, but I have not actually done any rewriting for it yet. I don't think I will until after Tuesday. I'm planning to tell the Yetis about my storyline and get some advice before tackling it again--so get ready guys. :)
I realized today that it's been almost four months now that I've devoted myself to writing every day, even if it's just a little bit. I think that's an accomplishment. I think it's because I have found a variety of motivators to keep me focused. Live Journal is one, mainly for its usefulness in keeping me connected with the Yetis, which are another. Starting 2YN is helping as well, and that's also directly tied to the Yetis. I've become a complete and total addict to the Romance Divas site, which is all about writing romance novels, so that's helping me stay focused too. I've joined RWA, but won't be able to visit the local chapter until their Feb. meeting. I'm hoping that will be an additional incentive. I've been a roller coaster with my writing in the past, sticking with it for a month or so, then dropping it cold for several months. I'd pick it up again with a renewed enthusiasm for about a month, and then drop it again. This four month thing is definitely a record, and I think the writing habit is becoming so ingrained into me that it's turning into an obsession. If I don't write something every day, then I feel guilty laying in bed at night. My storylines are always in the back of my mind. I carry a little journal around in my purse so I can write down ideas. I feel like a real writer, not just a dabbler, and I love it. Thank you to all my motivating forces--especially the Yetis. :)
I participated in an editing workshop over the last two weeks and learned about showing rather than telling. I thought I already knew that lesson, but when it came down to applying it to my own work, I realized I didn't. It amazes me how hard it is for me to spot things in my own work that I find so blazingly apparent in someone else's. Am I the only one who has that problem? I re-worked sections of chapter two (for the third time) in Gallery of Lies, adding in more sensory details and description. I think it's much better for it. I seem to have a fear of over describing and therefore slowing down the plot, so I tend to just skip the description all together. I have to find a middle ground. I only worked on snippets of Gallery because I really need to know how it begins to make sure the rest stays on track with the opening. I didn't want to work on the idea of 2YN because I'm trying to do the assignments as they are posted, and I knew I would get ahead of myself if I started plotting and characterizing too much with that. So...I started messing with my medieval idea again. I got out the scenes I wrote about three weeks ago and hadn't looked at since. I was shocked! The voice of that piece is TOTALLY different from the contemporary romantic suspense. I suppose it's obvious that it would be, but I've been so immersed in the "suckfullness" of Gallery, that I barely recognized my own writing in the medieval scenes. Showing rather than telling doesn't seem to be a problem in that one. Looking at it with fresh eyes and seeing that it was actually pretty good gave me a much needed boost. I also know that I have to complete the dreaded research and pursue the idea now. I think it will be good to have two completely different projects, written in completely different voices, going on at the same time. I can immerse myself in one when I am frustrated with the other, and they're so different there's no risk of mixing them up.
I found a webpage today that is chock full of writing links. It's titled Links for Romance Writers, but based on a quick browse through, there are resources listed here that are good for any writer of any genre. It covers grammar, tax info., writing software, etc. It's going to take me a long time to look through everything that is here, but it might be helpful to someone else too, so here's the link: http://www.charlottedillon.com/WritersLinks.html
I realized today that it's been almost four months now that I've devoted myself to writing every day, even if it's just a little bit. I think that's an accomplishment. I think it's because I have found a variety of motivators to keep me focused. Live Journal is one, mainly for its usefulness in keeping me connected with the Yetis, which are another. Starting 2YN is helping as well, and that's also directly tied to the Yetis. I've become a complete and total addict to the Romance Divas site, which is all about writing romance novels, so that's helping me stay focused too. I've joined RWA, but won't be able to visit the local chapter until their Feb. meeting. I'm hoping that will be an additional incentive. I've been a roller coaster with my writing in the past, sticking with it for a month or so, then dropping it cold for several months. I'd pick it up again with a renewed enthusiasm for about a month, and then drop it again. This four month thing is definitely a record, and I think the writing habit is becoming so ingrained into me that it's turning into an obsession. If I don't write something every day, then I feel guilty laying in bed at night. My storylines are always in the back of my mind. I carry a little journal around in my purse so I can write down ideas. I feel like a real writer, not just a dabbler, and I love it. Thank you to all my motivating forces--especially the Yetis. :)
I participated in an editing workshop over the last two weeks and learned about showing rather than telling. I thought I already knew that lesson, but when it came down to applying it to my own work, I realized I didn't. It amazes me how hard it is for me to spot things in my own work that I find so blazingly apparent in someone else's. Am I the only one who has that problem? I re-worked sections of chapter two (for the third time) in Gallery of Lies, adding in more sensory details and description. I think it's much better for it. I seem to have a fear of over describing and therefore slowing down the plot, so I tend to just skip the description all together. I have to find a middle ground. I only worked on snippets of Gallery because I really need to know how it begins to make sure the rest stays on track with the opening. I didn't want to work on the idea of 2YN because I'm trying to do the assignments as they are posted, and I knew I would get ahead of myself if I started plotting and characterizing too much with that. So...I started messing with my medieval idea again. I got out the scenes I wrote about three weeks ago and hadn't looked at since. I was shocked! The voice of that piece is TOTALLY different from the contemporary romantic suspense. I suppose it's obvious that it would be, but I've been so immersed in the "suckfullness" of Gallery, that I barely recognized my own writing in the medieval scenes. Showing rather than telling doesn't seem to be a problem in that one. Looking at it with fresh eyes and seeing that it was actually pretty good gave me a much needed boost. I also know that I have to complete the dreaded research and pursue the idea now. I think it will be good to have two completely different projects, written in completely different voices, going on at the same time. I can immerse myself in one when I am frustrated with the other, and they're so different there's no risk of mixing them up.
I found a webpage today that is chock full of writing links. It's titled Links for Romance Writers, but based on a quick browse through, there are resources listed here that are good for any writer of any genre. It covers grammar, tax info., writing software, etc. It's going to take me a long time to look through everything that is here, but it might be helpful to someone else too, so here's the link: http://www.charlottedillon.com/WritersLinks.html