That Was Big

I put 1,300 words on the page yesterday. Brain dead? Hell yeah. Happy camper? You bet! *g*



Kelsey got a gun, and Parker is beginning to flag. Things are going to change radically for them very soon.

Yes!

Looks like I'm a writer again. Last night I wrote so long my hand cramped. Of course, I was sitting in the truck, so not a great setting for writing. *g* I was so concentrated that I literally didn't hear the radio and a whole hour passed without my really noticing. This was at the fairgrounds, where Birdie had a master gardener meeting - and where she may have been snookered into working the county fair. *g* They've been trying to get her to run some of the vegetable competitions, because she's fair and works hard. Of course, she keeps laughing in their face... ;-)

Anyway, I completely broke through that block that's been stopping me. I got most of chapter 11 finished, and hope to complete the first draft this afternoon.

More Character

Had some really good ideas pop into my head in the shower this morning. As expected, half of them fled before I could write them down, but I got most of them pencilled into my little notebook. I love the flashes of ideas, but not getting them written down frustrates the hell out of me.

This afternoon I wrote more words than I have in a long time. I *finally* got a handle on that rough stretch in chapter eleven, and I'm convinced it's because I understand the characters a lot better than I did before. Happy camper, here.

WOW!

Watched the first half of Diary of the Dead this morning. What a great film!

Then, as I was giving Birdie her morning back rub, I had some cool thoughts about Parker. Why the hell is the GUY turning into the main character of my story? Weird. Anyway, the point is that I WROTE THEM DOWN. I think I was inspired by Romero this morning.

New Day

Getting rid of toxins in the system really sucks. It's getting easier by the day, but I still really WANT a drink. No, I haven't gone cold turkey, but darned close. Considering how much I was downing before, I may as well have done it. Much as I love the drink, the biggest problem is how to break such a long-term habit, and we all know how much me loves me habits.

Now, how to get other habits, like WRITING. I got some work done yesterday while at work, but then the freakin evaluations were returned and Donna and I busted ass getting them distributed.

Parker is a little meaner than I've been writing him, and Kelsey is crazier than I've been writing her. Losing her grandmother like that has put her off her rocker, and Parker has her half convinced that she's going to die soon.

Again, with the I-don't-do-passion-well thing. I have to CONTINUALLY remind myself to NOT make the characters so fucking logical and agreeable. Hmph. ;-)

Fun Stuff

No, not all the mowing and hacking and working our asses off (I wish) from the weekend. The fun stuff is writing words again. Parker and Kelsey are in much better focus for me, as is Skyview. Still not a LOT of words, but I'm getting them in. At this rate I'll be finished about 2010.

Safe trip, Kate!

Long For A Short Week

One of the dance faculty kept me so busy yesterday (she literally waited for me to get back because she didn't trust anyone else to do the work) that I took a short lunch and was brain wiped by four o'clock. SHEESH!



Still, I worked on the book as much as I was able. Vacation made me weak. *laugh* Needs to build them writin muskels.

She's Back!

Vacation was nice. Saw a lot of bears, one of them amazingly close. Didn't get to write much, because it's impossible to write while negotiating the narrow Cades Cove road, dodging stupid fucking tourists and looking for bears (of which I spotted several - one of them a half mile away!). Then when we were stopped I was too busy to pull out the notebook I had with me.

But, I thought a lot about Kinsey and Parker. They were too nebulous, as complete people, in my head when I started writing the book. That would be the number one lesson I think I've learned - that you really need a lot more preparation than I gave to the project before beginning to write.

Getting Organized

More baby steps, as Kate continues to tell me. (I wonder if it'll take as many years to get that through my head as her other lessons did?) A few more words today. A little more clarity in my mind what's going on and what's going to happen.

New Words At Last

Not a lot, of course, but Friday saw some production. The better news is that it was in a place I was having trouble before I threw in the towel.

There was more than one reason I gave it up. Mental problems, sure, and a little of it was my class was taking a lot more free time than a class usually does, but another big problem is that I felt overwhelmed by the book. I've NEVER been able to write long before and even though I'm not really into book sized territory yet, it feels like the nosebleed section.

Big Time Trouble

Yes, I've been having problems again, and of course I went into denial and tried to handle it myself - badly. At least this timeI didn't make Birdie suffer for years first.

I'm at the beginning of my third life. Parker and Kelsey should benefit from it.