Wednesday, December 31, 2008

BLANK PAGE

2008 is almost over. This is the last day and I’m sweeping it out the door; getting ready for the New Year. I’m thinking of 2009 the same way I begin a novel. A blank page is before me without a single word written on it. There is a thrill in wondering how it will evolve. Will it be exciting? Sensual? (hope so) Humorous? (hope so too) Whatever will be written on this new page, I plan to live every day to the fullest without any regrets.
What are your plans for 2009? Feel free to post your goals right here and let me know when you attain them. My writing goals are to finish the two novels I began during NaNo and to write two more mystery suspense as part of the South Padre Island series. Thanks to Candace Fitzpatrick for brainstorming the plot for one with me. I also plan to lose another 12 pounds (a pound a month) and to dance a lot.
Wishing everyone an opportunity to stretch and attain your goals.
*hugs*
Leigh

Monday, December 8, 2008

FREEZE-DRIED BRAIN

After cranking out 63k words during NaNoWriMo, (the month of November) my brain has gone on hiatus. Actually, I think its free-floating in space and preparing for re-entry...OK, I'm being optimistic about the prepping for re-entry thing. Free-floating brain with trailing anxiety about all the things I "should" be doing. Is that better?

Should Numero Uno: Finish the (2) NaNo books...(duh!)

Should Numero Dos: Finish revising previous 2 novels until shiny.

Should Numero Tres: Go to bed early, wake up refreshed and start writing early in the morning (snort!) and not on and on into the dark of night.

Should Numero Quatro: While I'm at it, I should push back from the keyboard and go jog a few miles just to keep my thighs firm...Stop laughing! These are the only thighs I have.

Should Numero Cinco: I can't handle any more than cinco. I should send out the holiday cards this year and not find them in the arm of the recliner on Groundhog's Day...again.

I'll start with the first two, forget about the second two and at least stick the cards to the car in hopes that I drive by the Post Office before long.

In the meantime, I will be doing writing sprints with the main writing buds, wrapping up judging for two writing contests and critting with the critbunnies online. I hope that you are able to formulate such clear-cut and decisive goals to be carried out by the end of 2008...Get to it! You have all year to accomplish them.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

NANO MANIA!!!

Yes, I’m in the great big middle of NaNoWriMo...For the uninitiated, that’s the annual month-long frenzied attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in a mere thirty days...the month of November.
National Novel Writing Month, or NaNo to the addicted, is a compelling effort to produce a first draft under the most trying of circumstances and without looking back to edit or even figure out what you’ve written. It helps to have a plot, but it’s not necessary.
2007 was my first attempt. In preparation, I wrote a detailed plot and intricate character studies. I planned ahead. Stacked Lean Cuisine in the freezer; explained to friends and family that I would not be much use to them during the month and to ignore me unless my neighbors reported a strange odor emanating from my house.
Thus armed, at midnight on November 1, 2007, I sat at the computer and wrote something completely different. Yes, my brain was hijacked by a completely different set of characters who took me to a new setting and made me write their dark and steamy mystery. I was possessed.
And being totally paranoid about the possibility of failure, I wrote the 56k word story they dictated in the first 18 days of NaNo. Then, because all my writing buds were still pounding the keyboards, I selected something I had abandoned in my WIP (works in progress) file and completed it in the remaining 12 days.
BTW: We do have permission to write total crap. A crappy completed first draft is far more valuable than the flawlessly crafted first chapter that some idealists insist on perfecting before going on to the next one. You guessed it. Nothing is ever perfect enough, so they keep reworking it ad infinitum. The message here: Just write it...My initial 56k novel turned into 92k in revision and with the addition of a secondary story line. Just write it...
My 2008 NaNo novel is in less of a hurry to be born. I changed horses at mid-stream to write something screaming in my head. Although not at the word count I should have attained by this date, I am feeling pretty good about the fresh and quirky characters driving my fingers to fatigue.
If you are NaNoing, leave me a reply and tell me how you’re faring. Good luck to all the NaNo participants and to anyone else with their fingers on the keyboard.