Monday, November 15, 2004

A New Week

Okay, I don't think I posted a single thing here last week. I was working on a BIAW and the NaNoWriMo, and writing lots and lots--I didn't even write my newspaper column last week. Everything focused on the book. Well, mostly everything.

I got about 40 pages written last week. Not as much as I wanted, but more than I expected. The story is moving right along.

Then I went with my son's French Class to Dallas on a one-day trip to see Cirque du Soleil. We left at 7 a.m. and got home around 1:30, with about 6 hours in Dallas. Want to hear panic in a teenager’s voice? Just sit in on a game of high school Truth-or-Dare during a school trip and let them suddenly recall in the midst of all the uproar that one of those listening in writes the weekly column for the hometown newspaper.

Cirque du Soleil was fabulous. I can't describe it--just go visit their website to see what all they do. But now I want to write a circus story even more than I did before. Someday, maybe.

Meanwhile, it's back to work on the book. I got 4 pages done this morning, but I really need to go back to work on it. I'd like to have a couple more pages to the good today. It's time to rescue the guy and get out of town. I'm on the downhill side, but...


Sunday, November 07, 2004

Getting sidetracked

I've been pretty good this week about getting the writing done. I didn't always write all I wanted every day this past week, but I wrote every day, and reached my page goals most days. Thursday, I think it was, I got an e-mail from the editor that they were going to be working on cover art.

Of course, this being me, I was reading the e-mail faster than my brain could compute, and skipped over some of the pertinent information and began to panic that they were re-doing the cover to The Compass Rose. Then I read the e-mail more carefully--the way I should have done to begin with--and realized that no, this was for the cover for Book TWO of the One Rose trilogy. The book I'm still fighting to finish. Immediate reaction: ACK!!!

I'm only a little past the halfway point (I think). I have no idea whether any scenes will turn up in the end of the book that will make great cover scenes. (There is a pretty cool one in the middle, though.) So I put together descriptions of the settings where most of the book takes place (and will have to go back and beef up the descriptions, because I tend to skim over those, even though I have definite ideas about what things look like) and descriptions of the characters, and a couple of scenes and which characters are in what locations, and we'll see what happens.

I spent most of today (Saturday) doing this, so I can get back to the writing tomorrow. Only have two things I have to do next week--no, three. But I can get that done. I can make it.

Need to go buy new bulbs to put in my flower bed, too. The ones I had rotted before I could get them in the ground. (sigh)

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

National Novel Writing Month

The point of NaNoWriMo is to write a whole, 50,000-word novel in one month. Why they chose November with Thanksgiving smack in the middle of it (okay, at the end), I will never know...Maybe because the guys who started this are guys. Who don't cook. Or do Thanksgiving for their families.

Anyway, I'm not doing a start-from-scratch novel, so I didn't sign up on the "official" website. I've got this book to finish. And it's one heck of a lot longer than 50,000 words. If I can keep it under 150,000, I'll be happy.

But I'm doing my own unofficial version, on a couple of loops, because, as said, I have to finish this stinkin' book. Got 5-1/2 pages written yesterday. Found my way out of the corner the characters boxed me into, and got into the next scene...and had to stop because I had no clue where it was going.

Worked that out in morning pages over breakfast, and wrote six (6) pages today. Met my goal. And I'm still in the middle of the scene, so I know (sort of) where to pick it up tomorrow.

It's snowing today--election day. It does snow more often in this part of Texas than further downstate, but it's unusual to be snowing this early. Though now I think of it, it snowed here on the last presidential election day... Hmm. Is this some kind of sign or something? I voted two weeks ago, just so I wouldn't have to think about politics and could ignore people picking at me.

I can't be worrying over that kind of unimportant stuff. I have a book to finish!