January 11 - Editing

One of the good things about writing the story so quickly is that I still remembered most of what I'd written. (If I've been away from something for a long time, I'm almost always surprised by something I find in the file.)

I was also doing small edits of the previous day's work as I went. Not my usual way of doing things but it seemed to work for this story. I did a quick edit on the whole thing (managing to add 20 words to the total) and have sent it off to my alpha reader for her input.

I'm not sure what I'll work on tomorrow.

What the muse needs

Getting vacation time can be a challenge. I discovered this week that 2 of my team of 5 have already booked off the week between Christmas and New Year. (Unlike some industries, mine doesn't have a lot of slow times and we have to maintain a certain level of service.)

I have the last week of September off (hopefully for a writing retreat with friends) and now the week of Thanksgiving. Yes, that's only two weeks later. I already have work scheduled for the week following that, so if I want time off, I have to jump on it.

That week, I'll be spending time at my favourite B&B, walking along the river and lake, drinking tea, reading and writing. I won't set a word goal but there will be writing every day. Promise.

Home again

I'm back from my desperately needed vacation. My goals were to relax, read & write a little.

I read a book that somehow had been on my shelf for nearly a year. I relaxed which had an unexpected result - I've long felt the building where I work is not the healthiest place. After being away for 12 days, having had one headache (weather related) and no real issues, I was back for less than 2 hours before my head was pounding and my allergies had kicked in hard. (Hard enough to set off the vertigo/dizziness.) I must take a look at what I can do to counter them.

I did do some writing. I spent time in the garden at the B&B and at The Sleepless Goat - very different atmospheres but both allowed me to get words down. I also came to some realizations about my main character. Now to keep the momentum and get more words down.

Trying something different

In an effort to reconnect with my WIP, I'm taking a break from my novels' world. Just for a time. No notes. No research. No deliberately thinking about plot, etc. Will it work? Time will tell.

Between now & then, there's an old piece that has been asking for attention - a different genre and something I've been thinking of expanding for some time. I have a new notebook, a list of existing characters & the beginnings of a list of research I'll need to do. Looking forward to my vacation & having time to write whenever I want.

Small update

Well, the short story has officially been shelved. As much as I wanted to submit to that anthology, the story just wasn't coming together. Perhaps without the deadline, I'll be able to wrangle it into something cohesive (and hopefully interesting) and send it elsewhere.

I decided to make a list of things I'd like to do/accomplish before my next birthday. One is to update this blog more often. The other is to complete the first draft of Chaos Unleashed.

I've been doing a lot of inner work over the past year. I think it's time to apply some of the things I've discovered about myself and my processes to my writing.

Wish me luck.

Music

At some point in the last few years, the music I listen to while I write has changed.

When I wrote my first book, I couldn't listen to music with words. Characters found theme music in Babylon 5 soundtracks or classical music. Battle scenes were written to the soundtrack of Mel Gibson's Hamlet. For short stories, there was bagpipe music, Lord of the Rings soundtracks, Gregorian chants, etc.

I blame my iPod for making songs be the soundtrack of my current writing. When my work office is noisy (all too often) the iPod comes out and the volume goes up. I've learned my brain can work effectively while listening to songs. (Thankfully I remember where I am and don't sing along. Or dance. Okay, it's a good thing you usually can't see my feet while listening to Enter the Haggis or the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.)

One of the good things about listening with headphones is being able to really hear the lyrics. I've found a number of songs that speak to me and have helped me get through scenes. Some soundtracks are still in play - Lord of the Rings and The Tudors - but Leonard Cohen and Melissa Etheridge, among others, are lending their words and voices to this book. As long as the iPod battery doesn't die ...