Modeling

I just read another writing instructor who recommends "modeling" as a method for learning to write. It's James N. Frey in his "How to Write a Damn Good Mystery." It was also recommended by Elizabeth Lyons in her book. I think I need to try this! I hate taking time away from my actual writing, but I'm almost finished with the first draft and will need to put it in the deep chill for a bit before revising. Maybe that would be a good time to try it.

Meanwhile, I'm writing away but my body is beginning to suffer, specifically my shoulder. At work my mouse is on my desk and is just a tad too high--I have to lift my arm/shoulder ever so slightly. It takes a toll after awhile. A massage will help. I can also smear on some of that dreadful smelling Chinese ointments we bought in our tiny little Chinatown area here. They're kind of like Ben Gay. Fortunately hubby doesn't mind the smell.

It's Already February--Who Knew?

Wow, it's been ages since I've updated this. I have a good excuse though--I've been writing my fingers to the bone on my latest wip. I'm now about 10K from the end whereas not too long ago I wondered if it would be another abandoned project. I *always* finished what I started until recently when I abandoned two manuscripts at around the 150 page mark. I will get back to them though. Especially the one--I still keep getting ideas for it.

I'm considering an exercise from James Scott Bell's book called plot drills. You take six books in your genre, read them, and create scene cards for each and every scene. You then read these over and over and over while you assimilate plot and structure. It's a huge investment of time obviously. He thinks it's worth it--and he's selling and I'm not! Perhaps when I finish the current draft, I will set aside the time to do it.

Live & Learn

I've been thinking about my goals for this new year, 2009. I don't want to make any resolutions--they always come across as negative and things you're *not* going to do like smoke or overeat. No, I think goals are much more motivating.

One goal is definitely to finish my cozy mystery manuscript, make revisions and get it circulating with agents. And the sooner the better.

My other goal is to learn. I want to take some good books off my shelf and really study them--do the whole underline in different colored magic markers thing. I want to try "modeling" as described in Elizabeth Lyons' book Manuscript Makeover. And writing riffs from the same volume.

Once and for all I want to see, inside out, how accomplished authors put their books together. Then I'm going to use that knowledge to write another one of my own.

What Is It About Deirdre

Okay, what's going on with me and the name Deirdre? I wrote a YA with a protag named Deirdre. That was on purpose, so okay, that's fine. But I've just been re-reading my current work in progress--not the YA but an adult mystery this time--and I have named not one, but TWO minor characters Deirdre! One is the about-to-be-married daughter of a secretary in the police department...the other is a snooty sales clerk at Abigail's, an upscale dress shop.

I toyed briefly with seeing if the two Deirdres could be one and the same, perhaps unleashing some interesting possibilities, but I don't think it's going to work. Alice's daughter is NOT snooty, and I need the sales clerk to be so she can intimidate my protag Gigi.

But seriously, what is with me? Any suggestions for alternate names is appreciated.

Filling the Page

I got some more words done yesterday. Not as many as I would have liked, but still... Part of my problem is "holding back." I usually tend to write "short," and subconsciously I think I am afraid of running out of story before I've filled enough manuscript pages.

But going back over what I've already written, I realize my second draft will be longer as I layer in things I've overlooked--scene setting here, internalizations there. My first draft is relatively bare bones in most places. I guess I need to get the story down and first and then go back and fill in the details.

I'm trying to push myself to finish by the end of January. I'm anxious to get started in a critique group to see what they think of this mess...

Are We Stressed Yet?

I've been hideously stressed lately. No, not the usual holiday stuff, worse than that. I can handle the holiday rigamarole with one hand tied behind my back. No, make that *both* hands tied behind my back! So not many words have hit the page partly because of the time sucking holiday run-around and partly because of the stress.

However...last night when I woke up in the middle of the night for the thousandth time and began to fret and worry and whimper in the dark...I turned my attention to my wip. And lo and behold I got a couple of good ideas! And I remembered most of them come morning...I still think there's one that got away but perhaps when I start scribbling some notes, I can grab hold of its elusive tendrils and bring it back into focus. Meanwhile, I'm pleased with the bonanza of the other ideas.

Panic at the Computer

Had a moment of panic yesterday when strange things began happening to my manuscript (as saved on my flash drive). Lines appeared in the wrong places, some lines were only half visible (as in the bottom half of the letters), etc. I'd save the manuscript on my home computer but there were around 7 or 8 pages that I didn't have anywhere except on the flash drive.

All is well, though. I added the new pages to the manuscript on my hard drive and saved all to both places. I think I messed it up when I pulled out the flash drive and then closed the manuscript--when it tried to "save" there was no where to save it to...so I put the flash back in, and something weird happened.

Finished another scene, and I'm happy about that. Not sure what scene comes next...have to noodle a bit on that one. I'm making slow and somewhat steady progress minus the Thanksgiving holidays.