What a Difference…

A week makes. I have moved on from my self imposed block, albeit it WILL need attention but as Jay tells me draft first edit second.

It’s time I heed that advice. The first book came so easily, I forget how much time it actually takes.

I feel solid that I am half way through. I did get a couple more paragraphs out today during my lunch break, AND I did do some scribbling away last night so I have a very rough semblance of a direction.

AND more importantly, the wild fire crews have some major containment happening. The skies are clear.

A huge amount of gratitude for those crews.

m

Movin’ On

Got two more pages done today! Yipee! What a long process some days. Most days actually. The brain is constantly whirling and turning trying to plan and plot what comes next.

The ghosts were last chapter, so now I’m moving on to the next stage in the mystery, and all the main players are back in the same room. Well the main players up until this point.

It occurs to me as I’m writing this and mentally lining up my main characters that I have NOT even identified the bad beings yet. Yikes. I need to ponder this and see if I have introduced a faux paus. There is one character that I wouldn’t even say has a supporting role yet, but I’ve already created a disdain for him and his “house”. I need to explore that.

I think tonight I might sit with the old fashioned pen and paper and create some notes. I might need to have a semblance of a path to follow for the second half.

I do feel like I’m right smack in the middle of this chapter of the saga (each book being a chapter).

It feels good to have moved past that partial block. The ghosts will be back Tobias already said so. Tobias has been around since the beginning of “man”. I tend to listen to what he has to say.

m

Well, well, well

Four pages done today!! Woo hoo!! AND I found out I am linking to my author Facebook page. I’m just a little slow at these things. Heck, I’m still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles of this dang site. I just need to take the time and go through things, but like a lot of people and just have it “be”.

Old dog new tricks. Yeah I think I mentioned that before in another blog. AND according to these widgets, I should be linking to said blog. BUT I am lazy and won’t be doing that. At least my readability emote is green. Yay for me!

As for the book. I feel comfortable that I’m at the half way point and I just started chapter 20 and am nearing page 190. We encountered the ghost clan and got the bad news and it’s time for the next steps.

There’s going to be a meeting of the minds. Dani will be there, but I think Bert’s going to “dismiss” her and it’s going to piss her off. Which will work out well because there’s a definite mother/daughter angst going on there and this will continue to feed into it.

I also need to decide if the Elven prince is going to pursue Dani. I have them on a fact finding tour now of the city. There’s a 2000 year age gap between the two, but Dani is well into adulthood, so there’s nothing skanky going on there- it just still seems like a very big gap to me.

I think it’s time for more research and some note taking to see where I’m heading next.

Progress is progress though,

I’ll take it

m

PS Happy Father’s Day to all- bio/step/stand-in/fur dads and to the people doing double parent duty

Love

I officiated a wedding today. I was simply hired for this one, not a friend of the family or friend of a friend. I guess I cry at all weddings. And damn it’s tougher when you have to speak and NOT cry.

Anyway, the two kids are awesome. They said their personal vows to each other and they were amazing. Straight from the heart.

I hope they remain as happy for all their tomorrow’s as they were today.

m

Long Weekend

The company I work for has opted to observe the Juneteenth Federal holiday. So that means I have Monday off. I’m not complaining at all. I need it. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed and yet underwhelmed at work. The workload is far from being too much, but some of the questions that are rolling across my screen are beyond my current job function and the people that are in the know are not at work.

The wildfires are slowly being contained, but dang the wind will not give those firefighters a day to really make headway.

My home alone status is now back to not home alone. Hubby arrived back yesterday, just in time for father’s day. I was out earlier and grabbed some steaks and summer squash and some sweet taters for some grillin’. Well providing the wind dies down. Hard to keep the grill where it should be with 40 mph sustained winds.

As for the book, got a half page done yesterday. I’m going to tackle more tomorrow probably. I am ready to fall asleep and the work day isn’t even done. (shhh. yes I’m writing this on my break at work). I wonder if Bert and Jasper can see ghosts.

we’ll hopefully find out soon.

m

Networking and the Introvert

The thought of networking scares the bejeezus out of me. I am not exactly good at it. Aside from typing- – I LIKE doing that. I can chat and kabitz with the bet of them, but put me in the real world at a networking event and I would be the one in the corner observing the festivities.

I’ve yet to make use of all the social media outlets available to me. Thanks to me NOT paying attention, none of my posts are linking to my Facebook page, and I don’t have an IG or twitter set up under my the skynnar name.

Now I HOPE that one day, I’ll have reason to attend an event and make small talk with other writing professionals, and that someone- somewhere might enjoy what I have to say. For now, though, I need to keep things going here, and continue with the first draft (which is where I’m heading to next)

Where/what outlets do you have going to promote yourself?

Anyone use GoodReads?

m

Back to Dialogue

The other day I spoke about dialogue and how it either works or doesn’t work for a character or set of characters.

I was thinking on this more again last night (because at least I think about writing when I’m not actually writing- – right?) Dialogue is or can be subjective methinks. Example- in the previous blog I also mentioned that I “almost” was accepted by a publisher, except they didn’t like my dialogue. It didn’t seem real to them. Whereas, to me, it was extremely real. Second point- the urban fantasy/shapeshifter series I read where I did not like the YA dialogue- but the series was like USA best seller. So obviously, I was in the minority for the specific vernacular used by one of the characters.

So my question to you is, how to you balance what your characters have to say, how they say it,(oxford comma intentional and always will be) and when they say it?

I mean there are certain slang, phrases, words that indicate different parts of the US and the world, common terms that are easy to bake in. It’s not that per se, it’s the back and forth with conversations, the language they use when happy, sad, pissed off, confused, etc.

When I read and proof Jay’s books (https://feloniousinsult.com); I’m amazed at the ease in which his characters relate to one another, whether it’s a formal or informal conversation- – he gets it right.

His characters come to life, they live and breathe. They aren’t reading copy from a script that he thought might sound good. In fact, he has one blog where he as the author sits down with a couple of his characters in a coffee shop. The dialogue is amazing!

How do you gauge when it’s a fit, how do you introduce new characters and determine their quirks with language?

cheers!

m

Buckling Down

While I’ve been semi-good at semi-regularly posting blogs. I have let the manuscript get away from me. Ten pages in two weeks is hardly an accomplishment. Granted I know that research is part of the process, but I am my own worst enemy when it comes to pushing forward. Call it block if you will, I just call it avoidance at present. There is nothing physically or mentally keeping me from clacking the keys (as evident from the blog post).

The local fire has be a bit preoccupied today. I am in no danger of having to evacuate, but friends’ have had to. I left the house yesterday to head to the shelter to foster a pup or eighty until they can get back to their normal, and the car died on my road.

I got it started again, but didn’t feel comfortable driving it and having it not start with a few unknown puppers in the vehicle with me.

So I got the truck back up the hill and decided that imbibing a few hard seltzers was a good consolation prize.

However, please note in that equation- I did not go back to writing.

I do need to buckle down and get clacking.

How do you all cope with avoidance?

Angry

Another wildfire here in the southwest. Between uncontrolled burns… and why are they burning in the windy spring time… sorry I digress…

This one started by a human… whether intentional or careless has yet to be determined.

People and animals need to be evacuated.

PEOPLE!!! YES YOU IN THE BACK!!!! STOP WITH THE CAMPFIRES DURING THE EXTREME DRAUGHT.

You may now resume normal programming sans the campfire please