inside tha purple haze

Impatience

2007-10-25T16:40:00.001-04:00

I realize I’ve spent way too long playing around with characters, world building and back story. I need to get writing. I know there are a lot of holes left to fill, but I’m anxious to get this stuff out of my head and onto paper. I’ve committed to NaNoWriMo, and I can’t wait until November 1^st. It’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about writing.

I want this novel out of my head so I can continue. The ideas are marinating right now, but there is SO much OTHER stuff I want to work on. I’ve got an urban fantasy marinating. The NaNo novel from 2001 that I’m afraid to finish ßtons of editing there, and a couple of short story ideas. So, between now and Nov. 1^st I’m pretty much all over the place, and the ideas are flowing. I bet it’s because la bruja knows that I won’t have time to play when Nano starts.

Ciao for now.

TEST

2006-11-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

Posting from Palm TX

Are You Ready? I'm Not.

2006-10-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

It’s been about a month already, when I made ambitious plans to outline my story during the month of October. I was hoping to be über-prepared for NaNoWriMo It did not happen. Not only that, right now I’m not all that upset about it. I have two novels fighting for growing room inside my head. One is of a chick-lit type, the other is urban fantasy.

I love both protagonists, of course, and therein lies the problem. CONFLICT. As popular writing advice goes, “what is the worst thing you can do to your character” is the bridge to conflict and plotting. Well, I know I am just being too damn nice to my girls, and I need to raise the stakes. But I feel very mean when I do that. I do not relish making their lives miserable. The antagonist—not so much.

In any case, that is the plan this weekend. To come up with ways to make my characters suffer. Today is the 27^th. I still have 4 days to come up with some sort of vague outline before NaNoWriMo begins. Or I can fly bu the seat of my pants….again.

Inspiration

2006-09-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

I downloaded <a href="www.inspiration.com">Inspiration </a> for both my
desktop and my Palm handheld. I'm having a good time, playing around
with it. I can see how it will definitely help me with outlining.

I love the fact that it is visual, allowing me just to "throw stuff at
the wall, and see if it sticks". And even better, converting it into an
actual outline.

Now, this is not my first introduction to Inspiration, but the first
time was quite some time ago...maybe 3 or 4 versions ago, and it was
less user-friendly back then. I'm at work right now, and I can't wait
until I can take a break, pull out my Palm and get to doodling. Yay me!

random thoughts

2006-09-05T16:16:00.000-04:00

I suck at plotting. I was reading this blog,
http://jacoppinger.blogspot.com/, and he is using Inspiration. Looking
at the website, I see there is a version for the Palm OS. I love my
Palm, even though I'm not using it to its full potential. However this
may motivate me in that direction.

I have the scenes in my head rambling around, but I can't seem to get
them into a nice 3-Act structure. Ok, so maybe I just need to write
them anyway. But I've tried that before, and ended up writing myself
into a tight corner. And that manuscript is still in the corner,
waiting for a total overhaul.

Blog by Mail

2006-09-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

This is cool. Seeing as how blogger is restricted at work, I must blog via email. This is the coolest. AND, as you can see I figured out how to post crappy pictures from my cell phone. That should prove to be interesting in the future.

It’s Labor Day, and I’m at work. By choice. Double time and a half is a great incentive to spend the day being non productive. I mean really, how much work can I do, when everyone else is home. Ok, well I was able to help out a couple of people, but that’s about it. Call back during business hours!

I’ve been typing up some novel notes I’d handwritten on a legal pad. I was in danger of losing the pages to the ravages of my purse, my car, and general day-to-day wear and tear.

I go through spells—sometimes I prefer writing longhand, and sometimes I need to compose at the keyboard. I plan to start working from First Draft in 30 Days as a way of getting, and keeping myself organized. I’m a packrat, and a paper whore. Too much of it, and I get overwhelmed. I’m quick to print off a webpage (to be read later), than taking a few minutes to read it right then. And then these random pages get lost, misfiled, or, when I come across them again, I have no blasted idea of why I printed it off in the first place. Same thing with bookmarks. I can CTRL+D with the best of them, but there is no rhyme or reason on how I save my bookmarks. I’m turning over a new leaf. With my new laptop, everything gets its own folder: the year, subject, etc. I’ve been doing the same with MS Word. It’s helpful to me in so many ways, I feel so organized! Let’s see how long this lasts.

Multimedia message

2006-09-04T13:35:00.000-04:00

My workstation

(no subject)

2006-09-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

<table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0
cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#DDDDDD" align=center><font
face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black;
font-size: 14pt;'><b>You've Experienced 56% of
Life</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE"><center><img
src="http://images.blogthings.com/howmuchlifeexperiencedoyouhavequiz/life-3.jpg"
height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000">
You have a good deal of life experience, about as much as someone in
their late 20s.
You've seen and done enough to be quite wise, but you still have a lot
of life to look forward to.</font></td></tr></table><div
align="center"><a
href="http://www.blogthings.com/howmuchlifeexperiencedoyouhavequiz/">How
Much Life Experience Do You Have?</a></div>

Multimedia message

2006-09-03T15:18:00.000-04:00

I love this pic

2006-09-03T15:13:00.000-04:00

Test

Mobile Email from a Cingular Wireless Customer http://www.cingular.com

2005 NaNoWriMo

2005-11-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

I have descended into madness. It's NaNo time! Originally, I'd planned to use September/October to work on characters, outlining, etc.--PLANNING for NaNo. But somehow time got away, and there it was October 31st, and I wasn't ready.

Nevertheless, I'm in.

Yesterday's word count was below goal, but still not back--1068 words.

Write Every Day

2005-08-07T09:23:00.000-04:00

Everything I have ever read about writing stresses, "you must write every day".

I don't.

I feel incredibly guilty that I don't. And I spend (waste) a lot of time thinking about how can I manage to write every day. Less sleep? I already go to bed around 11 or 12, and I'm up by 5, so no, that doesn't seem possible. I'm presently averaging 4-5 days a week, 800+ words a day. And this is in 15-minute blocks of time that I scrape out through the day. I just started working again, last week. By the time I get home I am physically and mentally exhausted. It takes me at least an hour just to de-stress. Add to that dinner, daughter-time, getting ready for the next day. Next thing you know, it's 10:00.

So, for the time being, my little 15 minute "mini-marathons" are just going to have to do. I'm hoping that this schedule will get easier in the next month or so, and I'll be able to weave in more writing time.

The least I CAN do right now...is stop feeling guilty about it. Ok. I don't write everyday. And that's okay. If I could I would, but I can't, and I have to realize that that's okay too.

Movie Meme

2005-07-21T23:58:00.000-04:00

I had to post this Movie Meme

Bold the ones you've seen

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. MAS*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

2005-07-13T23:33:00.000-04:00

I found this desktop timer. It's called Minute Timer 1.1, and it's perfect for me. I am finding it easier for me to write in short little bursts in between all the multi-tasking I do all day. This is my first attempt writing in this manner. So far in two 15 minute sessions, I've written almost 800 words. Keeping that pace, I'd hit 2400 per hour. I'm gonna ride this wave and see where it takes me.

Happy 4th!

2005-07-04T18:13:00.000-04:00

Fourht of July, and so far, I've spent the day surfing blogs, a little knitting, and working on my outline. Using Holly's Notecarding: Plotting Under Pressure, I got a lot done. I have a better idea of my scenes, where I'm lacking, and where I need to narrow my focus. It was certainly a big help. Now, I didn't have any index cards, so instead I used Excel. I may try to find a notecard program (like Writer's Blocks) online. I realized one important thing. I was going to use multiple viewpoints, but I can see that there are only two that are important to the story--Malcolm and Erika, but mostly Erika. I want to throw Malcolm in there, because I want readers to see that he's really not as bad once you get past your first impressions.

late night muse & diversions

2005-06-06T18:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I slacked off big time. Distracted by a computer game. Children of the Nile. Kinda like Sim City in ancient Egypt. A very involved game, and you are the Pharoah. It got me thinking about setting a story in ancient Egypt. I don't even know if there's a market for it. Or perhaps I can make a market for it.

Anyways, after wasting a good portion of the day (and night) on it, I went to bed about 4am this morning. THAT's when Mr. Muse decides to wake up big time. I found motivation for my MC, peeked into her husband's motivation, and found a series of opening events that will turn her world upside down. So, though they are coming slowly, I am ever grateful the words are coming. I just wish they'd not prevent me from going to sleep. It's difficult to read my writing after one of those late-night-dim-light-so-I-don't-disturb-anyone scribblings.

CONFLICT

2005-05-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

Conflict has been on my mind a lot lately. Specifically--not having enough. My MC has a good life, and I am trying to figure out how to make it all fall apart. I have tons of stuff planned to happen along the way...but not that potentially life-changing inciting incident. (Can you tell I've been reading about writing?) I know I wrote about this before, but still no resolution. Maybe I'm just trying too hard. I've also been writing down some ideas on the changes that need to be made on Eden's Promise. That manuscript needs a bit of work, but it is definitely salvageable.

In all the reading about writing I've done, one thing is clear. The first (or second, or third) manuscript I complete is typically a "throw-away". And having that mindset, I keep holding back...not wanting to "waste" good plot ideas and characters on something that may likely never get published. That is precisely my problem with EP, and why I keep procrastinating on finishing it.

what i did on summer vacation

2005-05-11T16:12:00.000-04:00

Well, it wasn't summer vacation, but it was certainly a blogging hiatus. A reader left a comment wondering if I'd been writing during my time away from here. Yes and no. The truth--I wrote, albeit sporadically, and pretty much moved writing way down on the priority list. Now, I'm back to blogging, and for whatever reason,it seems to be writing. Perhaps these entries are my writing "warm-up". Whatever it is, it seems that in my case, blogging helps my writing instead of taking away from my writing.

first steps

2005-05-11T02:32:00.000-04:00

Getting acquainted with my characters. I'm having difficulty with finding the right opening conflict. I'm thinking maybe I just need to get on with the outline, and work it out later. I got down some good words on my MC's husband/protagonist. He is taking on an adversarial role on this stage. I don't see him changing his ways, because he doesn't ever think anything is wrong with him--it's the world around him. And he just doesn't understand why Erika (MC) is making things so difficult.

Well, in other news, it looks like I'm going to be in New York in June. I feel good and bad about it. But in any case, I plan to make the best of it.

random musings

2005-05-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

Astrology for writers, editors, filmmakers

Libra: Commit. Say yes. Sign the contract. Cash the check. Stop thinking out loud about why you shouldn't do the above..we are all bored with your shortcomings in the decisionmaking dept.

Could it be they're talking to me? I would have to say so. I make tougher on myself than it needs to be. And for what, so I can whine about it later? ARRRGGGGHHHHH

Enough.

Just keep writing, writing, writing. Just keep writing, writing, writing.....

to-do

2005-05-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

I need to get an outline down for Untitled #2. I hate that I don't have a title, but nothing has come to mind yet. I was thinking Happily Ever After, but that is pretty unoriginal. Anyway, Eden's Promise was written without an outline, and while the premise is decent, it goes in 99 directions at once and loses focus of my original vision. I finally realize that writing sans outline, at least a sketchy outline, does not work for me. My MC is pretty well fleshed out. I've gotten far into her backstory. The other major players are not as fully drawn yet, but I'm getting there. My weak areas are: conflict (being too easy on my characters), and organization--which is an issue throughout my life, not just in my writing.

I have an idea of how I want the book to end, but am not sure how to get there. If I can get past my major stumbling block, I'll be good. Major conflict. I've got lots of minor conflicts in mind, but nothing major enough to set things in motion. I had an idea of making a list of everything that can go wrong for my MC when the book opens. Let's see how that works out.

Flickr

2005-05-01T13:31:00.000-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

WIPs

2005-05-01T12:54:00.000-04:00

Eden's Promise
Untitled urban fantasy
Untitled chick lit

Eden's Promise is on hiatus. Not quite done, but lack of an outline has me stumped as to where to go next.
#2 (UUF) & #3 (UCL) are in development, and currently the loudest voices inside my head.

My goal for May is to get back on track with my writing. My discipline has been lacking, and truth be told, I'm not getting anywhere. I've identified the reasons behind this, and I'm working them out. Now it's up to me to get the words down.

stats

2005-05-01T12:45:00.000-04:00

blogger says i've written 31,645 words. hard to believe it has been that much. i've been away from this blog for 2 years. time to resurrect, and give new focus.

2005-05-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

2005-05-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

2005-05-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

Test

2003-05-31T11:43:00.000-04:00

i haven't written here in a while. keep assured i'm still writing, albeit slowly. Eden's Promise is chugging along, currently at 79K. more later.

2003-02-22T02:19:00.000-05:00

added another 723 words. and EP is starting to "wake up" for me, so i'm gonna ride this wave while it lasts. it feels really good to be writing again. i've also been invited to post an exercise on the erotica board. now that is a genre i haven't written in a while, and i am looking forward to it. i can at least live vicarously through my characters

2003-02-22T00:56:00.000-05:00

the words are coming, slowly but surely. i only wrote a measly 308 words so far, but that is 308 words i didn't have yesterday. i'm suffering from not having outlined previously, and EP is going to take a lot of rewiriting. i'm at the point where i just want it done, so i can fix it and make it right. and of course move onto the other 2 novels that are currenlty marinating. then there are the other two books in the Eden series.

2003-02-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

i really really want a cigarette. it's been what....about 18 hours thus far. i don't know if i can do it. i am accustomed to sitting at the keyboard with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. i don't even have any candy or lollipops as oral substitutes. this sucks.

2003-02-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

ok. time to put the knitting away and back to writing.

2003-02-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

i just read rob's post of 1/28 about the post first draft blues. he touched on his fears, one of which i share with him. i'm afraid of not getting "deep enough" with my writing. i can put together a scene, a short, maybe even a whole novel. but does it mean anything? am i making an emotional connection with potential readers. sure it's easy to maintain interest with action and events, but if you don't care about what happens to my characters i will never get published. it's as simple as that. i guess this all comes from my lack of confidence in my writing ability. i've never completed anything more than one short story. i've started a multitude of novels, but have never stuck with any of them. my instincts told me that my ideas, while good, were not enough for a novel. and sure enough, i'd crash and burn shortly after starting. Eden's Promise is currently at approx. 70K. that is the most i've ever written on ONE project. i started it in november 2001 for NaNoWriMo. i didn't make 50K that month, but i stuck with it, and in the 15 months since, i managed to only double my word count. i should have finished this long ago. i've procrastinated, ruminated, and did everything to avoid finishing this novel. to be honest, RL did interfere for a while, but that is not a valid excuse. if i ever want to be a working writer, i cannot afford to let my day-to-day life take me away from my work. in fact my writing should be a priority in my day-to-day life without fail. and i haven't yet made that jump into level of commitment. it is time for me to step up to the plate and (hopefully) hit one out of the park. not tomorrow, not next year, not when i get financially settled. the time is NOW.

2003-02-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

everything looks to be working. now i just need to start updating regularly, so i can generate some traffic.

2003-02-07T12:14:00.000-05:00

ok, well i'm now trying to republish changes i made, but it doesnt seem to be taking.

2003-02-07T12:10:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure i know what i'm doing with Eden's Promise. i'm just going a long, writing anything. don't know if it makes sense at all. but i guess that is what revisions are for. i'm intimidated by the idea though. i will be actively seeking revision advice at Forward Motion

2003-02-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

i'm writing. not much, but it's a start. 600 words between last nite/this morning.

2003-02-07T10:41:00.001-05:00

ok. seems as though now they're working. yay.

2003-02-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

ok. seems as though now they're working. yay.

2003-02-07T10:31:00.000-05:00

let's try this again

2003-02-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

oh hell. i can't seem to get them to work.

2003-02-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

i'm trying enetation. let's see if it works.

2003-02-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

ok. well apparently i've lost my comments. my blogback account expired. damn.

2003-02-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

Blowing off tha dust...

i'm back. january started off well, but disintegrated quickly. i'm writing, ever so slowly. i've had a lot of ideas come to me for revisions on Eden's Promise. i just want to type "the end" so i can get started on revising. i'm currently reading The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I think this is going to be a new series (i hope). i'm also getting a lot of thoughts on how to improve EP. Not plaigarism, but more of a sense of what i've left out.

2003-01-03T01:28:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I haven't abandoned this blog, nor my writing. I'd gotten so disgusted with myself by the end of '02 I was ready to give it up. That lasted for a few hours....lol

It's a new year, new beginning, and I haven't really made any formal resolutions (aside from quitting smoking). I always seem to set myself up for failure that way...making writing goals that I never seem to meet. This year I'm just gonna take it one day/story/chapter/paragraph/sentence at a time. No more, no less. I need to finish Eden's Promise. I haven't worked on EP since my birthday, back in September. That's bad. Real bad. But I wrote 222 words yesterday, and 393 words so far today. She is currently at 68,747 total. Jalen hasn't disappointed me yet, and she's just experienced something that is freakin' her out. Totally unplanned in my original vision, but it works (for me). I don't know how it will play in the grand scheme of things, but that is what revisions are for anyway.

One thing I will do this year is read more. I did not read very much last year, much to my surprise. I don't have a lack of books to read, but nowhere near my usual 50-100 per year. Of course I spent a lot of time doing other things. And that is the problem. I need to find a working BALANCE between all the parts of me. Writing. Being mom. Job hunting. Knitting. Reading. Music. Video games. Ok, well that last one doesn't really count...but it *is* a time waster.

2002-12-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

Which Goddess Owns You?
brought to you by Quizilla

2002-11-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

nov. 4 - 1213 words

not as much as i would have liked. but one scene down, and many many more to go. tomorrow (later today) i plan to work out just how long i want this book to be, and how many scenes it will entail. i got this idea straight from Holly at Foward Motion. she explained in detail how she mathematically worked out her scenes, and it seems to work for her. and so it can't hurt right?

2002-11-04T00:16:00.000-05:00

hahahahaha! my brief foray into first person is over. back to third person. 189 words so far.

2002-11-03T18:09:00.000-05:00

glad this happened *now* as opposed to later. third person was just not gonna work for this particular character. i *need* to be in her head. so make my count ZERO again, and i'm starting over.

2002-11-02T01:02:00.000-05:00

nov. 2 - 302 words

don't laugh. it's only been a hour thus far. more later. i'm beat.

2002-11-02T00:58:00.000-05:00

nov. 1 - 73 words

sad, ain't it? and where did october go? all my beautiful plans for outlining, sketching--dashed by the evil minions of procrastination. yup. no one to blame but myself. but i'm not gonna let that get me down. i look at it like this--maybe there's a reason i can't seem to get an outline completed. ya think? in any case, i will still be outlining/sketching WHILE i'm working on this as-yet-untitled novel. i'm shooting for a total length of 140K, with at least 50K to be completed this month. i'm not gonna put my neck in a noose by claiming i can do 140K in thirty days...but you never know.

2002-10-24T12:07:00.000-04:00

the writing is coming in drips and drabs. i NEED to get my prep work done for November 1st. it doesn't look as though i will have it complete, but hopefully i'll have a major headstart.

2002-10-24T11:47:00.000-04:00

Book Worm Meter for d

Shut In 49%

51% Out Of The House

Intellectual 77%

23% Moron

High Attention Span 77%

23% Low Attention Span

Bookitude 96%

4% Book Burner

Book Worm 74.75%

25.25% Bug Stomper

Take your bookworm readings.

2002-10-14T14:59:00.000-04:00

not much writing content over the past few days. i was in a deep blue funk for a minute, but i'm getting over it. life moves on. EP won't be finished prior to NaNoWrimo, so i'm not stressing about that. still working on "Nano '02" outline. this time i am NOT flying blind. i WILL have characters, i WILL have an outline (of sorts) and i WILL complete 50K.

2002-10-03T10:26:00.000-04:00

test

2002-10-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

worked on NaNoWriMo Novel Prep last night. not too bad. i still have no character names, but that is okay. they will come. i plan to get back to Eden's Promise today. Those are my two projects for the foreseeable future. If the muse cooperates, I will have a first draft of EP finished before NaNoWriMo begins.

2002-10-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

i thought this was interesting.

name search wizard

The Girl's Name Debra is shared by ~574,400 people in the USA.
The Last Name Osorio is shared by ~11,850 people in the USA.
The First Name, Last Name Debra Osorio is shared by ~20 people in the USA.
The First Name, Last Initial Debra O is shared by ~2,340 people in the USA.
The First Initial, Last Name D Osorio is shared by ~680 people in the USA

2002-08-26T14:30:00.000-04:00

i have been really bad at updating this blog. but that in itself is telling, since i have not been writing very regularly either. add to that that i have very sudenly and unexpectedly rendered UNemployed. ok, so now i have no excuse. i have the time to write, but i didn't necessarily want to give up the day job to get it. does anyone care to sponsor an aspiring novelist for say...the next year or two?

the BN course over at Forward Motion is hanging over my head. i haven't been able to keep up, although i am still trying.to get there. i am finally realizing that my initial idea was not well thought out, nor will it make a 'breakout novel'. i am considering going back and redoing what (little) i've already worked on and start over with my new idea. this one is much more firmly realized in my head.

2002-07-15T16:04:00.000-04:00

OW! I've been hit by a brainstorm...time to revamp my premise!! Wish me luck!

2002-07-15T13:30:00.000-04:00

Writing is not come easy for me. I see writers around me letting their ideas flow seemingly effortlessly. Each word is a battle for me, and even afterwards, I can see the "emptiness" of my writing. I never learned how to..."let go" with my writing. How to draw the writing out of my subconscious in its own form, not in the form that my conscious mind wants it to be. Does this even make any sense? I wonder if every writer goes through the same struggles I seem to be having? I sit down, I write, and everything I write is contrived. Fake. I am reading "How to Write the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. And he points out every flaw that I see in my writing. My stakes are not big enough; why should anyone care about my character? I'm afraid of digging deep.... giving a piece of myself to my writing (a problem that has surfaced in my relationships...but that is another subject, for another journal). How do I move from "surface writing" to "deep writing?

2002-07-06T14:16:00.000-04:00

reading alli's blog, i realized, i haven't done enough to show the differences of the Mandoorians, and their attempts at becoming acclimated to a totally new environment. more to think on.

2002-07-06T11:43:00.000-04:00

i'm auditing the BN course at forward motion. i am really wondering if i am just out of my league. other folks seem to pick ideas out of the thin air, and i struggle for each halfway passable idea i can grasp. i'm already behind in the homework, and that sucks. next class is thursday, and i have until tuesday to post TWO assignments. they aren't terribly difficult, but i just can't seem to get it together.

EP: coming along very, very slowly. this is going to be a huge editing job. i've got a hazy idea of how the end product should read, just not how to get there.

2002-06-23T00:05:00.000-04:00

729 words for the day.

i still haven't done any of the outlining that i said i was gonna do. i think i'm just gonna press on writing blind, and see how it all turns out. i really want to go back and read what i've written, but i'm afraid that will interfere with my moving ahead.

2002-06-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

i'm part of the Forward Motion team at Project Dolphin. it's fun, unobtrusive, and i like watching my keystroke count go up. ANYTHING that motivates me to sit at the keyboard works for me.

i wrote about 800 words last night/this am. very few words since then, but i've been staying at the keyboard nevertheless. they are slow coming, but the words are a-coming.

2002-06-21T23:32:00.000-04:00

YAAAAYYYYY! I wrote today. only 150 words. but that's 150 more than i had yesterday.

2002-06-18T15:57:00.000-04:00

You sometimes doubt yourself - who you are and what you can do. You're a curious person, with questions and concerns about the world. You go along with the crowd and aim to please others to your best ability. But when you finally discover what you're really capable of, you can do some serious ass kickin'! You're fast and furious, and you will always stick up for what you believe, and those who you care for. Not only that, but you're charming and charismatic, so you get along with people well, and others often look up to you.

2002-06-17T17:10:00.000-04:00

i'm noticing that the links on the left are wayyy out of date.

put it on the to-do list for tomorrow.

2002-06-17T16:55:00.000-04:00

i'm still here. i'm still alive. just haven't been writing. well, not writing anything worth mentioning. eden's promise still hangs over me like a darkening cloud. (how's that for cliche?) i want to get it done, since there is a whole bunch of other stuff i wanna work on. but on the other hand, i don't want to rush to finish it, and then get disgusted with myself for rushing through it.

so far, i've not attempted to read the whole thing yet, aside from the first few pages. i got quickly frustrated by the glaring errors i saw, like neon signs saying "DUMMY" everywhere. i've ot been in the right mindset to actually go back and make some semblance of what i've written so ar. early feedback from readers is generally positive. i don't handle compliments well, and i think that is what froze me up. that and not having a clear idea of where this book was going to begin with. [can we say OUTLINE?]

so as it stands now, i will briefly outline what i want to happen next. my first draft is not even broken down into chapters, and my linear plotline seems to not be so linear after all. i've got a big job in front of me. i just need to figure out how to break it down into bite-size chunks.

FM has moved into a shiny new home. i need to get myself reacquainted with everyone. many new names over there. i kinda feel like an outsider right now. but i've missed that place. online time at home is limited at the moment, but once the DSL is installed, that will be all over. i will be the internet queen once again lol.

2002-03-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

A WHITE Dragon Lies Beneath!

I took the Inner Dragon online quiz and found out I am a White Dragon on the inside. If there ever was an apparition of balance, power and reclusive intelligence, my Inner Dragon is it. Whites are a fairly common dragon and are considered one of two harmonious dragons. My antithesis is the evil Black Dragon.

My Inner Dragon likes to think things out, plot against enemies, and look down upon the world from the highest mountain peaks. My favorable attributes are the Day, the Sun, truth, a positive attitude, and helpful magic. Humans only need fear me when they stray into my domain without proper tribute. Of course, that tribute would probably be a cake the size of a Volkswagen, but hey, if they wanted to move through my turf they should have brought it, right? If someone ever really wanted a fight I'd be an impressive opponent, considering I pack a breath weapon combination of Fire and Lightning. Even the nicest dragons can do some serious damage.

2002-03-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

2002-03-20T09:24:00.000-05:00

i know its been a while, but i am finally working again. wrote a few hundred words on EP, and am working on a poem entitled Lyrical Seduction. I haven't been writing too regularly lately, and to be honest, i just haven't been motivated. but that motivation is coming back, and i really want to get EP finished, so i can move on to bigger and better.

2002-03-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

569 words today. this is a bit of a difficult scene. definitely will need some heavy rewriting. i'm not quite comfortable with the tone, but i'm just going with it as it is right now.

2002-02-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

750 words so far today.

2002-02-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

it has been way too easy to slack off. i need to now recomit myself to producing sometihng every single day. It is not enough to "wait for inspiration", or let myself get distracted. i am so friggin' mad at myself.

no more whining. back to writing. again.

2002-02-27T13:44:00.000-05:00

ok i'm done playing with this. i needed some purple on this page, and i've achieved my goal.

2002-02-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

today i'm trying to make template changes. wish me luck

2002-02-20T18:35:00.000-05:00

YELLOW

You are very perceptive and smart. You are clear and to the point and have a great sense of humor. You are always learning and searching for understanding.

Find out your color at Stvlive.com!

2002-02-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

Are you Addicted to the Internet?

62%

Hardcore Junkie (61% - 80%)
While you do get a bit of sleep every night and sometimes leave the house, you spend as much time as you can online. You usually have a browser, chat clients, server consoles, and your email on auto check open at all times. Phone? What's that? You plan your social events by contacting your friends online. Just be careful you don't get a repetitive wrist injury...

The Are you Addicted to the Internet? Quiz at Stvlive.com!

2002-02-17T03:10:00.000-05:00

my daughter was sick. then she made me sick. thats my story, and i'm sticking to it! sickness is disspating, and the mental fog along with it. and i'm writing. went over my word counts for this year (joke!), and realized that i FINALLY hit the 50K NaNoWriMo goal. Sometime last month, and I didn't even know it. I thought I still had some additional wordage. Eden's Promise stands at 55,933 right now, and still counting. I figure I'm about a little more than half done, as I was aiming for close to 100K. I'm sure in revision, I will cut half, add more, and still get to that 100K mark.

2002-02-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

i just checked my blog, and I was sure I posted here more recently than January 27th?!?!?! Oh well. As you can surely guess, wriiting has been sporadic at best. I have worked on Eden's Promise a little. I've also started TWO new stories, and several poems. So I *am* writing...just not writing what is *should* be writing. LOL

Untitled story #1 is a vampire story. First line is: You would think that getting yourself killed would be fairly easy in this day and age. Thank you Sheila ffor the inspiration.

Untitled story #2 is a fluffy little romance ditty. Not my genre, and I don't even know why I'm writing it. LOL

Several poems came dripping out of me. And that whole angst-filled "woe is me" writing episode is over. Whew!

2002-01-27T04:28:00.000-05:00

963 words. its almost 4:30 in the morning. this is gonna really screw up the rest of the day, if i go to sleep. maybe i should just stay up and write, and clean, and write. the baby should be up in about 4 hours, and my day begins again LOL.

2002-01-27T02:29:00.000-05:00

I just realized, two weeks have simply disappeared. I could not tell you what I've been doing these past two weeks, cause its all been one gray blur. Nothing vaguely interesting that's for sure. I just noticed that prior to this past friday, it had been 2 weeks since I'd last posted. That sucks. In any case, I just read Sheila's blog, and it woke me up and I'm ready to write.

2002-01-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

372 words today! i really didn't think I was going to get any writing done today. i am so behind in my never-ending lists of tasks, about one-third of which are writing-related. but after a very "inspiring" phone conversation, here I am at the keyboard, when I really should be catching up on some well-deserved sleep.

oh well.

write now. sleep later.

2002-01-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting, because I haven't been writing. Call it being blocked, procrastination, whatever. I wasn't sure quite where EDEN'S PROMISE was taking me, and I started to panic. Ok, so now days pass, and the zero word counts keep piling up. And finally, I just said fuck it. just keep going, and worry about it in the second draft.

Tuesday: 1,036 words

2002-01-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

It looks like blogback is down. again. there are little x's where the "comments" should be.

2002-01-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

677 words.

Here I was building a pretty nice infodump when Jalen had a DOH! moment. It was pretty obvious after I typed it. I have no idea why I hadn't considered that option earlier. Guess I *will* have something to pitch at the writer's think tank this evening. Looking forward to it.

2002-01-11T15:49:00.000-05:00

can i break a thousand words today? i'm certainly gonna try. my daily high for this year has been 845, and that was on the 1st. Production has slipped off dramatically in the days since. Oh well. can't cry over un-spilled words...just keep moving....AHHHH....now i get it.....Forward Motion!! Okay Holly, gotcha! LOL

2002-01-07T21:18:00.000-05:00

Which Internal Organ are you? Find out at willaston's lounge!

2002-01-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

Take the Corporate Mascot Test at Willaston's Lounge!

2002-01-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

If I were a

I would be:

SADIE

take the Living Dead Dolls Test

2002-01-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

No writing yet today. But the day isn't over yet.

2002-01-04T11:34:00.000-05:00

I need a timeout. I need to go back and read what I've written so far. I've resisted the temptation so far, because of my habit of editing and re-editing and never finishing. But I need to reorient myself on Eden. The continuity errors are abundant, but I'll worry about those later. I am losing the thread of the story I wanted to tell, and won't find it again, unless I go back and find where I dropped it. I also need to think more about how I am going to end this particular book, and how I'm going to plot out this entire trilogy. Guess I've got a lot of work ahead of me. This should give me more than enough to work on for the Dare.

2002-01-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

i see the comments are gone again.

:-(

2002-01-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

I read Jen's Blog and I think know why I'm having such a hard time. I forgot I'm wriitng a FIRST DRAFT. I don't need to worry about the incredible amount of exposition, my author intrusion, and all that technical stuff. Just write it as it comes to me, and worry about the rest later.

WHEW!

Thats a load off my shoulders.

2002-01-03T01:14:00.000-05:00

I need to stop being such a packrat. I've got so much clutter in my life. I've started out '02 clearing out the emotional and mental clutter, and now it's time to get started on the physical clutter.

If you don't hear from me for several days, send the authorities, cause that means I'm lost in the midst of it all, LOL.

2002-01-03T00:39:00.000-05:00

blogBuddy is back! YAY! It's a bit of a pin having to log into the site every time I want to post to my blog. Glad to see everything is in working order again.

702 words for the 2nd. Not bad, and since I'm not at all sleepy, I'm keeping on.

2002-01-03T00:37:00.000-05:00

test

2002-01-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

Finally started using Rough Draft, and am quickly falling in love. I can make notes, and not have to flip between windows. That is the BEST thing for me. I'm tired of stopping, searching for a pen, and writing on stickies, when I'm on a good keyboard flow. More on this later.

2002-01-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

Never did get back to writing yesterday. But I got DWR [daily writing requirement] in, so it's all good. So far, today stands at 387 words. Little bit of a struggle today, but I've been playing around with some of my poetry, so I guess that served as a distraction.

Its snowing in Georgia. In other words, it is a SEVERE STORM WATCH. Approximately 4" have fallen so far today. I got to leave work early, and more than likely I won't have to go in to work tomorrow. Yay! More writing time.

2002-01-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

"The gaze of the poet is directed at the heart. He does not see things as mere matter. He converses with the trees and the grasses, talks to the stars, greets the sun and feels a kinship with everything around him…The poetic mind is the source of human imagination and creativity. It imparts our lives on this earth with hope, gives us dreams, and infuses us with courage; it makes possible harmony and unity and gives up the power, which no army can vanquish, to transform our inner world from utter desolation to richness and creativity."

--Daisaku Ikeda