The Importance of Research

AAAARRRGH. That's me screaming. I had this whole post written--what a beauty too--and I accidentally hit something and it DISAPPEARED! Woe is me.

Anyway...I was rambling on about how I hadn't accomplished much this week other than mucho tinkering with the old plot thanks to some help from my online plotting group Plot Hatchers. Bless you, ladies! I also did a lot more research on roller derby. I concentrated on reading blogs related to roller derby and got lots of ideas for conflict, plot twists, etc. I would highly recommend it. If you are writing about a particular subject...horse racing, for instance...go to blogspot or your favorite and plug it into the search engine. All sorts of wonderful things will pop up.

I discovered one most amazing thing. According to a news report I unearthed, girls, desperate to get into a top college in this year when college applications have hit an all-time record, have turned away from the unbiquitous sports like soccer and lacrosse, to...you guessed it...roller derby!

Hmmmm, can I work an over-achieving coed into my manuscript?

Starting Over

Last week was something of a wash. My writing coach and I exchange our goals at the beginning of the week and then review them to see how we've done at the end of the week. Unfortunately I did not accomplish any of my goals.

On the other hand, I did stop to do some more background work--fixing plot problems, doing character sketches, etc. I think it is going to make for a stronger story. It means starting over, but there are bit and pieces I can keep.

I hope this isn't my internal editor's way to getting me to stop and smell the revisions! I started this determined to push forward without going back to edit.

Epiphany

Had to check the spelling of that!

Or maybe I should have entitled this "phoenix" for my novel rising from the ashes. Even though I am 50 pages in, I still haven't been satisfied with the plot. I'm in a wonderful, small plotting group, and they gave me some ideas and urged me to keep thinking. While walking the dog, I GOT IT. Or most of it. I'd been approaching this too analytically. I needed to concentrate on the backstory of my characters. Some of the answers were right there.

If I trust the process, the rest will come as I write/think/sleep/walk the dog (pray for good weather).

Sometimes I think this is the most fun you can have without involving large amounts of chocolate!

Blue Collar Broads

I saw my first roller derby game tonight! It was wild and great fun. The Blue Collar Broads beat the Roustabouts. All are incredible skaters. Wild costumes. Interesting crowd of people--everything from punk dyed hair and piercings to families with kids. Enormous potential for a story. I'm already rethinking my plot...

Went to a Thai restaurant with our friends afterwards, and they were all weighing in on my potential plot. Some good ideas there...

I think it's going to be fun. Of course no writing got done today. But I have soaked up lots of wonderful impressions...

Are We Having Fun Yet?

I've got 45 pages, and I'm darned proud of it. I've even had some fun with it. Did you know that my protag's brother-in-law would suddenly announce after 15 years of marriage and three kids that he's gay? Neither did I, but I'm going to have a lot of fun with it. (I'm working on a humorous cozy mystery meaning most violence is offstage).

I would have liked to have written more, but this has been the week of all weeks. I have to stop viewing writing as WORK which I never used to before I started writing so much on my day job. It helps to grab my Alphie (portable word processor) and get in bed early with it or sit in my great big chair with the ottoman.

Coming up on the weekend and that's the hardest time for me to write what with family all over the place expecting attention. Tomorrow I am doing research though--hubby and I are going to a roller derby game. My mystery is set in the world of roller derby, and I can't wait to see a game firsthand.