A Divorce

         A popular term writers use is "married" when it comes to our writing.

      "Are you married to this part? I think the story would be better without it."

      "I'm not married to the ending. I know it's weak."

      This year I've been working on a NaNoWriMo from 2012. In fact, I was a 2013 NaNo rebel. And now that November is officially done, but my manuscript is not, I'm still working.

      My story is about writers. A group of rowdy women writers. And until about six months ago, there was no thread to make non-writers care. Really, there was no connecting thread, nothing really weaving the story together. But then I found one, and started adding pieces here and there as I revised while I also wrote.

     Something was still missing, however. My "thread" was coming in too late--I thought. The major story layer needed to make an entrance earlier, in my opinion.

     The problem? I had a beginning that I considered snappy--and engaging. Even though my tale is part humor and part darkness, I almost always lead with the self-denigrating foot. I use lightness to compensate when sadder times threaten to slay me.

      Yesterday, I finally divorced the snappy beginning. Actually, I didn't get rid of it, but I did write a new first part...And I kind of like it.

      Now, I'm still not finished. I haven't gotten to the ending yet. But I'm closer to the end. And, it's a more cohesive story than it was two days ago.

      What part of what story was the most difficult for you to divorce? What part did others tell you need to get a divorce from, but you stayed with? Writerly minds want to know...  

Be Thankful

        Later today I'm enjoying a meal prepared by my mother-in-law. I'm thankful I don't have to cook.

     I'm also thankful I have a healthy, happy son. He's home for a few days, and I've gotten to make some big batches of food to fill his bottomless gullet.

     I'm thankful I have a supportive husband who tells me my stories are good ones if they appear towards the beginning of an anthology.

     I'm thankful for my daughter, her fiancee and my granddaughter, Riley. They're healthy and happy and caring. They're celebrating with Riley's grandmother (I'm "Grammy"), another person I adore.

     I have work friends I rely on every day. I have blogging friends whose posts I look forward to reading every day. I have writing colleagues who help me immeasurably. A lot of "riches" surround me...

     No matter what we don't have that we would like, we're far better off than a lot of struggling people. And when we compare our lives to the lives of people in some other countries...well, we have quite a cushy life.

     So if you have some family or friends around you today, celebrate. Tell each other what you're thankful for. And enjoy...

The Stand(s)

        Yesterday I participated in an event in another country city. A library graciously hosted an evening with local authors. Since I had eight books I was bringing to sell, I wanted to make some bookstands.  

         My idea: take three pieces of dowel rod, put a "spot" of hot glue at the top to hold them together at the top, tipi-style, and put another spot of glue on two of the legs and attach a horizontal piece of wood, to act as a "ledge" to hold the book in place. It was going to be so easy, and would result in an extremely functional product. Or so I thought...

         I had to modify my design, because my tipi bookstands needed a fourth leg to keep them stable. I got that. I had vacillated between 3 and 4 legs at the hardware store, but decided on 3 for frugal reasons. So...modifications made.

         The three "spots" of glue didn't really cut it, either. I needed at least eighty-four several hot glue sticks for each stand. I would squirt blobs onto the top, and when it was more or less set, I'd turn it upside-down and squirt out another fifteen gluesticks' worth of glue glue stick into the inside of the pointy top part. They held together, and worked, and because of all the hot glue I had to use, they only cost approximately $63 apiece.

        While I was working late one evening this week, my husband took my visually-interesting bookstands as a challenge. He made stands with screws and nuts and bolts. (I think that's what those things are called.) The legs were adjustable, they were more stable than my stands, but each one looked like the others. Their uniformity was boring. I appeased him, and took his bookstands to the event. But deep inside my heart, I knew my stands would have attracted more crowds...When the clamoring hordes of book buyers would have caught sight of my stands, their mouths would have gaped open. I just knew it.  

          Here is a picture of the two stands having a stand-off. You be the judge.

     My husband's plain-Jane-all-the-same stand is on the left. Mine is on the right. What the camera could not capture is the enormous and numerous globs of glue glistening on and hanging from the rods. But don't let the camera's limitations sway you--you will have to use your imagination.

      And how was the event? It was fun. I chatted with several writing/publishing friends, including Marcia Gaye, Jack Zerr, Mary Horner and Robin Tidwell. 

       My next post--Marcia Gaye's "best" writing, and a book giveaway...And if you're a child of the 60's or 70's, you'll want to check it out.

NaNo Hospice

     Okay, it's official. My condition is terminal. My word count--as far as NaNo--is half of what it should be right now...However, I think I have determined the problem, and have rectified it.

     I previously had a character in my story--my husband who I named "Dennis"--who looked exactly like Viggo Mortensen. LOTR Viggo. Hidalgo Viggo. Not the Viggo who played the guy undercover as a Russian and got into a wrestling match/fight with a guy in a spa, resulting in a bit of fleeting full-frontal male nudity. Not that Viggo. (And no, Val, I still have not seen the Viggo movie you keep touting. I apologize profusely.)

     I kept a photo of Dennis/Viggo in front of my laptop to keep myself immersed in the story. But I would find that hours and hours would pass, and all I would have to show for it would be a puddle of drool on my keyboard. No words...for hours and hours.

     Perhaps my "inspiration" is too distracting? I deliberated, and decided I should transform the "Dennis" character, changing what he looks like, and see if that makes a difference.

     Here is the new Dennis:

     What do you think? Do you think (the late) Victor French-like Dennis will keep me more on track?

       Help me. Please. I'm drowning in an empty swimming pool of words...

(Currently, my NaNo word count--since November 1--is 14,139 which might seem quite anemic, but those are words added to my 2012 NaNoWriMo, bringing it up to a grand total of 70,650. Of course, after November ends, I will be slashing and burning and revising, but I am getting closer to the conclusion of this story...and am spackling up some of the plot "holes.")

Death by NaNo

     Right now, I am over 10,000 words behind. NaNo is winning and I am losing. Will I make it up over the weekend, even though I have mid-quarter report cards to do (and first I need to grade an 18-wheeler full of papers organize some student work)?

     Probably not. However, right now I am 6,000 words further along on my "longish piece" than I was before I began NaNo 2013. And, I've turned a corner. Not the corner, as in the-end-of-this-novel-is-right-around-the-corner, but I think I've figured a way out of a mess I had created for myself. We'll see... 

     Another plus: my husband has hacked into my computer looked over my shoulder as I've written, and is intrigued that he is a character in it, although his name is "Dennis" in my story. Little does he know that "Dennis" also looks exactly like Viggo Mortensen. Not "Eastern Promises" Viggo but LOTR Viggo or Hidalgo Viggo or even GI Jane Viggo. I'm not terribly particular...

     So, here is a sneak-peek at my novel hubby:

       And now, back to NaNo...

Writers! NaNo-ers! Rebels!

        I went to the St. Louis Writer's Guild workshop yesterday. Donna Volkenannt and Linda O'Connell spoke about how writing about our lives is a smart way to go. (This is such a lame description of what they talked about, but I cannot spend too much time on laying out the highlights because...it's NaNoWriMo!)  Linda and Donna are both award-winning writers and have been published in many different collections. Their talk was inspiring and funny and spot-on.

          Then two writers spoke about NaNoWriMo. Several people I spoke to are crazy brave enough to do NaNo this year. Kim is working on a intriguing novel that revolves around an earthquake...and what happens next. (Do I have it right?) Donna Volkenannt is working on...well, she's keeping it a secret, I guess, or she said and I was in a menopausal moment. Linda O'Connell's working on--her 142 soon-to-be-published Chicken Soup story, so no NaNo for Nicole's Nana.
Lynn is doing NaNo, so I have someone I can wallow in misery with cheer on in my critique group.

       I'm a NaNo rebel this year. Last year I made it to the 50,000 word finish line, but now have 50,000 words which means it's only part of a novel (and a hot mess of a story it is, indeed). This year, I'm trying to add 50,000 more words to my 2012 project. However, I'm already behind, so we'll see...

      The suggestion came up to avoid all contractions while doing NaNo (I figured that out last year on my own) and reward yourself with chocolate after meeting small goals.

       Chocolate is always a good incentive... If you're doing straight NaNo or if you're a NaNo rebel like me, have a great month...