Year end goals progress

The year is coming to an end and it's time to look at the progress I have made (or not) on my goals.

1. My first goal was to finish my novel. I haven't finished revisions. I actually haven't worked on it in a while. I have been thinking about it, though. I like my story, but I think I've been too nice to my characters. I need to do some serious revision if I want it to be a better story. 
2. My second goal was to finish our screenplay. And I did finish a draft. Now comes rewrites.
3. My third goal was part of the Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge. I set a goal of reading 40 books this year. It was a stretch at times, but I finished #40 this evening. I think I'll set a more leisurely goal for 2013.
4. My fourth goal was to see at least 1 movie each month at the IU Cinema. While we did miss a month or two (the Cinema was dark in July, for example), we did see a LOT of films there this year. 
5. Goal five was to visit a state park each month. We didn't manage every month, but I knew some months, especially in winter, would be tough. All in all, I'm pleased that we managed to get to a state park most months.
6. My sixth goal, added in the spring, was to run a mile. I did manage to get to running a mile. Not every time I ran, but most times. I haven't run as much lately with the cold weather, but I did get out once in December. 

November goals progress

Is it already the end of November? It's time for my monthly update.

1. I decided to work on a new novel during NaNoWriMo for November. I started "Dear Grace", an idea I've been thinking about off and on for over a year. While I did start, I didn't get very far. I found that having to work on it made it harder, made it a chore. So I've gotten back to writing just when I feel inspired. Yep, I'm never gonna be a full-time writer. And that's ok. I want to enjoy writing.
2. No new progress on the play.
3. I've read 36 books so far this year. Only 4 more to reach my goal of 40. I'm on track to do it.
4. November was a very busy month for us at the IU Cinema. We started the month with From Here to Eternity, followed by The Motorcycle Diaries, Cabaret and, finally, A Trip to the Moon last night. 
5. We didn't get to any of the state forests this month. One Saturday we considered it, but ended up going to an SCA archery practice instead. 
6. And the cold weather takes away any desire to run. I think this one will be on hold until the spring.

October goals progress

It's November 1st. I supposed I should post my October goals progress.

1. I worked on my novel a little. Got some good feedback. Lots of notes to apply... when I'm ready to work on it more. I'm starting a new novel in November for NaNoWriMo. 
2. Got some good feedback on the play. I need to work with Chris to add action (it's currently dialog heavy).
3. I'm on track toward my goal of 40 books. I've read 33 so far. I'm currently reading 2. 
4. We spent a lot of time at the IU Cinema in October. Casablanca on October 4th, Bride of Frankenstein/Freaks double feature followed by The Gamers: Dorkness Rising/Beverly Lane double feature on October 27th.
5. Does driving through Yellowwood State Forest count? Because we did that. We didn't get out and hike, but it was a nice drive.
6. I've fallen off the running wagon. I got out a few times, but the cold has been an issue. I picked up some warmer running clothes, so that should help... as long as I can keep from getting injured and actually get out. 

Overall, a pretty good month. I think I'll add yoga or some other exercise in place of trying to run so much. It may be the cold, but I've been more likely to hurt after running lately. November is looking to be a very productive month.

September goals progress

Time for the monthly progress report:

1. I worked a little on my story. Not as much as I should have, but some. I like where the story is. I am aware of my weaknesses. Now I need to buckle down and finish so I can move on. I've started thinking about a new story to write during this year's NaNoWriMo in November. I'm excited. This year's story isn't a fantasy piece. I'll be writing in the real world. 
2. I finished a draft of our play! There were major problems with the penultimate scene, but I've even rewritten that and fixed what I knew was wrong. I've sure this will need revising, but I'm happy with where it's at right now. Chris needs to go through it and help with action. He's already pointed out a line that was unintentionally creepy, so I fixed that.
3. I've read 30 books toward my goal of 40. I'm 75% of the way to my goal, 75% of the way through the year. Right on track. I think next year I'll lower my goal a little. Even though it looks like I can do 40, I almost feel like I'm reading just to meet the goal sometimes. (Usually I just get lost in the book, but ones that take a bit longer to read... I feel pressure to finish them quickly.)
4. The fall season at the IU Cinema is fantastic. This month we saw Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, with Herzog in attendance, no less; Treasure of the Sierra Madre; and Two Years at Sea, an experimental film. Fitzcarraldo was interesting - a little long and slow, but interesting. For the record, I liked the ending. The whole point was about bringing opera to the town, and he did. Two Years at Sea wasn't really our cup of tea, but it's good to get out of our comfort zone and try something different.
5. We didn't get to any of the state parks this month. Between weather, other commitments and a surprise visit to the grandparents, it just didn't happen.
6. Running. What can I say about running? I read a book this month about interval training. While I have no desire to run a half marathon, the principles in the book can still be applied to my own running. And I did try to implement them once my leg felt better and I recovered from a cold. I had my best run (2 minutes jogging, 1 minute walking). Then I had a couple of bad runs trying to keep to that schedule. I was trying to time it so I would hit the hill at a walk, but that backfired on me. I decided to change my interval to 1:1... and then I got hit with another cold and it rained all week. I haven't had a chance to get back out and run. Honestly, I still don't like running, so running when I don't feel good or when the weather is crappy is just enough incentive to give it up, so I take those days off. If the weather holds out, I should be able to get back into the swing of things this Tuesday.

All in all, not a bad month. I feel like I'm getting back in the groove now that the boys are in school. Of course, I'm also looking forward another 2 years, making plans for grad school, which means I should pick up a GRE study/practice book because I'll need to take the GRE and apply to grad school next year if I want to start in 2014. It never ends, does it?

August goals progress

I feel like I'm finally getting back on track with my goals.

1. I didn't work on my story, but writing group started meeting again. I got some good feedback on a chapter and lots of ideas to work with.
2. Progress on our screenplay! I'm working on the penultimate scene. I need to figure out exactly what happens in this scene and then write the ending. I've changed a few earlier scenes from the first draft, which changes everything after that.... I feel good about where it's going.
3. I have read 25 books toward my goal of 40 for the year. I'm 1 book behind - the book I'm currently reading. I hope to finish it this weekend. For the record, I'm reading "A Study in Sherlock". 
4. The IU Cinema is back in full swing. In August, we saw Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love". I haven't seen many Woody Allen films, but this is the first one I actually liked. 
5. Despite the heat, earlier this month we drove down to Mitchell and spent the afternoon exploring the Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park. We picked up some freshly stone ground corn meal and made corn bread for dinner that evening. Actually, we have to make more corn bread since we have so much corn meal. While at Spring Mill, we stopped at the Gus Grissom memorial. Space geeks that we are, we enjoyed seeing his space suit and Gemini capsule. There was also a memorial in Mitchell, his home town.
6. Ah, running. What to say about running. August was a Jekyll and Hyde month for running. The cooler mornings made it much easier to run in the morning. I was even running 4 mornings a week. Until this week. Saturday evening I was restless, so I decided to take a quiet jog around the neighborhood. I had to stop and walk part way through because my shin started hurting. I guess my history of shin splints is catching up with me, because my right shin has been giving me trouble since then. I haven't run, but I've been trying to walk. Not the same, but I need to let my leg heal.

So, mixed bag again, but much more on the positive. With the boys back in school (Wil full-time and Sam 2 days/week), I hope to make more time to write during the day. The weather should also cool off some, which may help us get to state parks to hike. 

July goals progress

July was a busy month. We spent part of the month out of town, which made it hard to keep to a regular routine. But, some progress was still made.

1. I didn't write at all in July. I meant to.... and then just didn't. 
2. I didn't work on our screenplay, although I did set it up so Chris can access it. I am stuck with where to go on the last few scenes. 
3. I did do a bunch of reading in July. I'm at 23 books toward my goal of 40 for the year. This is good news. I'm finally back on track.
4. The IU Cinema was dark in July, so we didn't see any movies there. My mom and I did take the boys to see Brave at her local theater.
5. Wow, I guess July was worse than I thought. Between the heat and the traveling, we didn't make it to any of our state parks. 
6. And finally, running. Once again, traveling took its toll. I have been trying, but not as consistently as previous months. I did notice 2 things while jogging (can I really call it jogging? I'm barely above a walking pace). First, I've been breathing through my nose. This is exciting, because when I started, I was panting within a block. Isn't the point of running to improve cardiovascular health? I think that goal is well on its way. Second, I tire out very quickly when it is humid. Even on cooler mornings, if it is humid, I struggle to make 3/4 of a mile. My legs feel leaden and start to cramp. On less humid mornings, I can make my full mile. (Yeah, not stretching for more than that at this time.) I'm slow. I was averaging in the 4.5-5.0 mph range in June. This month I'm in the 3.9-4.2 mph range. But I keep plugging away.

So, not the best month. But that just gives me room to improve this month. August is already starting off well, with cooler mornings and a lot less heat and humidity than July brought. And the boys go back to school soon, which might give me more time to write.

June goals progress

It's time for another check in on my goals progress. Here's how I did in June.

1. While I haven't finished revisions on my novel, I did get back to writing. I revised 2 chapters this month. I consider this a win.
2. I didn't work on the screenplay, but at least I got back to writing.
3. I have read 18 of the 40 books I hope to read this year. At my current rate, according to Goodreads, I am 1 book behind. While still behind, this is an improvement over last month.
4. Chris and I went to see a really good Norwegian film, Turn Me On, Dammit!, at the IU Cinema.I highly recommend seeing this movie if you get a chance. Go save it on Netflix if it isn't coming to a theater near you. (IMDb listing) As a bonus, we also saw a movie at the local multiplex. Yes, we saw Prometheus. In 3D.
5. The boys and I met a group of moms and kids for a hike at McCormick's Creek State Park. We picked the most rugged trail, of course, since it is the boys' favorite, although we only did a portion of it (and not the hardest part). 
6. While I've had to take this week off from running since Chris is out of town (can't leave the boys home alone yet), I have been running a mile through the neighborhood 3 times each week. I haven't usually gone further, but my breathing is much easier than when I started. And I haven't been getting shin splints. Considering the heat (it's often already warm when I head out to run at 7:30), I'm pretty happy that I can go a mile. I'll worry about getting more distance in the fall when it cools off. If then. A full circuit of our neighborhood is about 1.5 miles, so that might be a good goal to work for at that point.

Overall, not bad progress. I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things. I just need to find time to do everything I want to do.

May goals progress

It's that time again, the end of the month, when I post my progress on the goals I set way back in January as well as the new one I set in March.

1. Once again, I didn't work on my novel. But I did print the current draft and I'm ready to tackle it again.
2. I didn't work on my script either. 
3. I got back into reading! I have read 15 out of my 40 book goal. It's a good thing I was ahead at the beginning of the year, because I'm now 1 book behind on pace, but it's only 1. After the reading hiatus I took in April, that's not too bad.
4. May was a busy month for us at the IU Cinema. We spent 2 nights there, May 1st and 2nd, seeing the student productions and the Made In Bloomington series that I helped program. 
5. I am happy to report that I took the boys to McCormick's Creek today (yep, just squeezing it in this month) for a hike around the falls/trail 3 area. They really like that area and asked to go there. We had a great time, and the weather was perfect.
6. I am consistently running 1 mile now. There have been a few times when I haven't made that, but nearly every run this month was at least 1 mile. I plan to run every morning (Monday through Friday, at least) that is possible. I just started that this week, since the boys are now out of school, forcing me to get up early and run. That isn't a bad thing, since it's getting hot early now. Of course, I set that schedule and didn't run Monday (we had to get up early to get to a Memorial Day service) or Tuesday (it was raining) or Wednesday (I had an 8:15 a.m. dental appointment). But I did get up and run today. 

All in all, not a bad month. No progress on 2 goals, but something to report on the other 4. Let's hope June is even better.

YA is the PG-13 of novels

Last night I had an interesting conversation with a writer named Shirley. We had attended a screenwriting panel and are both aspiring writers.

Shirley is adapting a script she had written, turning it into a novel. She has tried to shop it around as an adult novel, but didn't have any takers. She wondered if maybe it was more of a young adult novel.

The idea of it being a YA novel had been suggested to her before. I mentioned that the novel I am writing was a YA fantasy novel, and mentioned that I thought her themes sounded like a good fit for a teen audience.

I haven't read her novel, but the idea had occurred to me from her description. She's now mulling that idea.

All this is to set the stage for something I was thinking about as I wandered the grocery store at 10:00 last night:

Movies often aim for a PG-13 rating to increase their possible audience. R ratings by definition exclude the under 18 set. PG-13 is seen as still interesting to adults, unlike PG or G, which are "for kids".

At the book store, there is a similar sorting. The children's section is like G and PG movies. The YA section is like a PG-13 movie. The rest of the store is adult by default.

Now, just because a book isn't in the YA section doesn't mean a teen can't read it, so in that way the sections aren't exactly like movie ratings. But consider the number of adults who read books from the YA section (The Hunger Games, Twilight). There are many books I have read that I was surprised to find in YA - The Art of Racing in the Rain, for example.

There are the examples of children's books that get read by adults as well (Harry Potter), just as there are G and PG movies that adults enjoy. But that YA section is pretty popular just as PG-13 movies are pretty popular.

Writing something that is appropriate for and appeals to young and old can certainly expand your audience. And even if it doesn't, if it only appeals to younger readers, isn't it better to have your story out there, being read, than to have it collect dust in a drawer?

Now I just need to finish my novel so it can find those readers.

April goals progress

I'm a little late with this post, but that just reflects what April was like for me. I think my brain needed a break and there was a lot going on, so I failed on a lot of goals for the month.

1. I didn't work on my novel. At all.
2. I intended to do Script Frenzy, but only added about 1 page. I just wasn't feeling inspired to write.
3. I didn't finish a single book all month. I slacked off reading. I even skipped book club since I hadn't read the book. Although I started reading Street Gang toward the end of the month and have been enjoying it.
4. We didn't see a single show at the IU Cinema. We have more than made up for that this week, with 2 shows last night (3D Student Showcase and Made in Bloomington program 1) and 2 more (Student Showcase program 1 and Made in Bloomington program 2) tonight. 
5. No state park in April. Yep, we really slacked off.
6. Now this is the only goal that I made progress on. After a month of plateauing around .75 miles, I blew past that to 1.15 miles on 4/29. My breathing has been getting easier each time, so I know I've been getting better. But my shins have been the limiting factor. I used to frequently get shin splints in high school, so when my shins start hurting, I stop running. Then Sunday happened. And I hit my usual limit and felt fine. I reached our house and felt fine so I kept going. And jogged another block before my legs hurt. 

I hope taking the month off has reset me. I really want to report progress at the end of May.

March goals progress

Back in January I set some goals. It's now the end of March and time to check in on my progress.

1. My novel isn't finished. I didn't expect to be done in March, but I've slacked off. I still love my story, but I need a break. 
2. Which leads to our screenplay. I am taking the month of April to participate in Script Frenzy and work on the screenplay. I probably won't reach the 100 page goal, but that's ok. I don't think this script is a feature length story. My personal goal is just to finish the script, however long it ends up. My guess is 20 or so pages. 
3. For the Goodreads challenge, I have read 12 of the 40 books I am aiming to read this year. According to their statistics, I am 3 ahead of where I need to be. 
4. By the end of today, we will have seen 2 shows at the IU Cinema this month. Earlier this month we saw The King's Speech (Chris's first time, my second) and today we will see Young Frankenstein (a classic!).
5. While we didn't hike at a state park, we had a picnic at Paynetown SRA over spring break. It was a gorgeous day, with temperatures in the 80s.
6. A new goal! I want to be able to run a mile again. Speed isn't important, which is good because I'm slow. But I am already up to .75 miles and it's getting easier. My breathing wasn't as labored on my 4th run as it was on my first. Plus I have now made it up the hill that my route takes me to ~.7 miles in. 

Overall, not a bad month. I need to get back in gear with my writing, but otherwise I'm pretty happy. I even added a new goal.

February goals progress

Back at the beginning of the year, I set 5 goals for this year. With February ending tomorrow, here is my current progress:

1. I have done revisions on 2 more chapters. Not as far as I hoped to be, but these chapters actually involved quite a bit of rearranging and reworking, so I'm happy to have them done. I'm at nearly 45K words (my goal is ~50K).
2. As with last month, I haven't worked on the screenplay this month since I've been pushing to get my novel done.
3. I have read 9 books toward my goal of 40 this year. This puts me 3 books ahead of where I need to be.
4. We saw several movies at the IU Cinema this month: Holiday, Oscar Nominated Shorts - Live Action, Oscar Nominated Shorts - Animated, and Pina in 3D. We also planned to see The Kid and Sherlock Jr with the boys, but Sam had a raging fever, so that fell through.
5. His illness was also one reason we didn't make it to a state park this month. For such a short month, February was jam-packed with way too much happening. Our plan of hiking this past Sunday, when temperatures were downright balmy, were foiled by Sam's illness. If only.... but travel, bad weather and illness take their toll. 

All in all, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I would like to be another chapter ahead writing, but I am a sloooow writer. Especially when doing revisions. The screenplay isn't even on my radar yet because of the novel. Hopefully we'll do better getting to a state park in March. As long as we don't get a late season snow storm, the weather should be improving (who am I kidding? we haven't had winter!) so that will remove one obstacle.

January goal assessment

At the beginning of the month I posted about 5 goals I have for this year. To keep me on track, I plan to post my progress each month. January ends tomorrow, so here is this month's assessment:

Goal 1 is to finish my novel. I didn't get nearly as far as I had hoped this month. Writing when the boys are around it difficult (they entertain themselves just fine until I try to do something) and this was a month with few opportunities to write in peace. My writing time is Tuesday and Thursday when the boys are in school - and they were home more often than planned due to school closure or illness. I need to make more time. I finished a revision of chapter 12 and am working on chapter 13, which I hope to finish by tomorrow.

Goal 2 is to finish our screenplay. I haven't touched this in months because I'm pushing through on the novel. I have a hard time concentrating on multiple projects at once so my writing suffers. I likely won't make progress on this for a couple more months until the novel is done, unless I need to take a break.

Goal 3 is to read 40 books this year. I'm ahead on this goal, having read 6 books so far. Sick time has helped here and I fully expect the summer and holiday season to slow me down, so it's probably good that I'm ahead right now.

Goal 4 is to see at least 1 movie at the IU Cinema each month. In January, we went to "Being Elmo", so this goal has been accomplished for the month.

Goal 5 is to visit a state park each month. We went to McCormick's Creek State Park early in January, thus making this goal for the month.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my progress. I know where my weakness is (making time to write) so I can work on correcting that.

Goals not resolutions

I don't like New Year's resolutions. They never work. But I do have a few goals for this year that I hope to accomplish.

1. Finish my novel. I didn't finish revisions last year, but I am very close and am determined to do it this year. I am a slow writer, but I need to make more time to sit and write. I get distracted by all the other things I want to do much too easily. My writing group has helped a lot by having deadlines to finish a chapter or two. 
2. Finish our screenplay. I have a draft, but it needs polishing. It's a little spare right now, about 10 minutes. I want to expand it to 15 or 20 minutes. I have joined the Bloomington Screenwriting Community to help motivate me. 
3. I am taking the Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge. My goal is to read 40 books this year. I read 36 last year (according to their statistics) and have already completed 1 for this year. I guess I'm off to a good start.
4. Chris and I are going to try to see at least 1 movie each month at the world class IU Cinema. We're already planning to see Being Elmo this weekend and Oscar Nominated Shorts - Live Action and Oscar Nominated Shorts - Animated in February.
5. Visit a state park once per month. I ordered our state park pass online yesterday and it was shipped today. It may be difficult during the winter months, but we'll try as many months as possible, weather permitting, to visit a state park. Within a very short distance we have several, including Brown County State Park, Lake Monroe, McCormick's Creek, Lake Lemon, Spring Mill State Park.... We need to explore them all!

What are your goals for the year?

A Giftmas story

It was coming. It was coming fast. Only 16 more shopping days before it would be time once again to celebrate the holiest of holy holidays: Giftmas.

The season of getting was in full swing, with people rushing to the malls, charging into stores, frantically clicking 'buy' online, all in the hopes of getting a great deal. It didn't matter what they were buying; all that mattered was that it was 50% off.

"Ooh! That thingamawhatchacallit is on sale! Only $29.99! I must buy it," Joe shouted into the empty room. Glancing up at the sound of his voice echoing, he frowned.


Feeling lonely, he turned on his favorite Giftmas music. Maybe that would help chase the feeling of emptiness away.

We wish you a merry Giftmas. We wish you a merry Giftmas. We wish you a merry Giftmas and a happy new haul!


Switching back to the thingamawhatchacallit, he clicked his mouse button, hoping he could complete his purchase before the price went back up. He wasn't sure who he would give it to. But that didn't matter. The point was he had to buy it.

As his purchase completed, he heard a chime as the confirmation email hit his inbox. Opening the message, he saw three little words he hadn't noticed before: "All sales final."

His stomach clenched. With a frown he read and reread the email. He looked down at the credit card sitting on the desk in front of him. Glancing back at the screen, the words jumped out at him again: "ALL SALES FINAL".

All I want for giftmas is a lot of toys, a lot of toys, a lot of toys. All I want for Giftmas is a lot of toys, then I'll have a merry Giftmas.


Suddenly sweating a little, he opened a new browser page. Logging in to his credit card account, he blanched at the balance. It was higher than he had thought. "Crap."

Why had he wanted to buy that thingamawhatchacallit? He didn't need it. He couldn't think of anyone to give it to. He thought back on all the stuff in the mail on its way to him now. None of it seemed worth buying. It was all just stuff. His head fell into his hands, dark thoughts whirling through his mind.

I'm dreaming of a bright Giftmas, with toys and games and more for me. Where the ribbons sparkle, and paper crinkles, with bows on every box I see.


Raising his head with resolve, Joe shut down his computer. He wasn't sure what he would do with all the stuff he had bought, but he knew he was done. He couldn't afford to buy, buy, buy. He didn't need more things. He needed to be less alone. And that wasn't going to happen sitting here in an empty room.


This is just a fiction piece that came to mind when I thought about how much Christmas seems to be turning into Giftmas. 

All fiction is fantasy

I know I'm not the first to realize this, but the idea that all fiction is fantasy is something I was thinking about in the shower the other day.

See, I even wrote it on the shower wall with tub crayons.

So, all fiction is fantasy. Some types are just closer to reality than others. But they all spring from the author's imagination: mystery, suspense, romance, historical, sci-fi, and even... fantasy.

I like the freedom of writing fantasy. I get to invent a world in which anything could happen. I get to decide on the rules. I can even write about dragons that aren't dragons.

But all fiction is fantasy. And it is all made from nothing. Sometimes we borrow places or people we know. Sometimes we disguise them so we can make them just a little different to fit the story, or to protect them, or just because. Sometimes we make things up.

If fiction were not fantasy, it would be pretty boring. And it wouldn't be fiction. It would be history, or biography, or journalism. There are some interesting and exciting tales in reality. But there are no fairies or magic.

Pirates aren't swashbuckling in real life. Aliens aren't from outer space. Detectives have to worry about evidence tampering and usually aren't Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes.

All fiction is fantasy. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

How I write

With NaNoWriMo almost upon us, I thought I would share how I write.

It's not complicated: I fly by the seat of my pants.

At least, that's how I've worked on my first novel (tentatively titled "The Dragonlords"). When I started, I had the first scene, the prologue, stuck in my mind. And I just went from there. I let the story tell me where to go. And when I got lost, I would talk to Chris. He would ask great questions (sometimes as simple as "why?") and of course I knew the answers. And those answers were usually where the story needed to go next.

I only had ~25K words after last November, so I've been fleshing it out for the last year, with the help of my writing group. I had some good bones when I started. I have almost 36K words now and plan to use this November to reach 50K (or, ideally, 60K). It needs filling in, but I know a lot of the places that need work, thanks to the lovely ladies in my writing group.

I also have the start of a stageplay/screenplay("Life is a Journey") that runs about 8 minutes so far. After I'm done with my novel, it is next on the list. Chris and I came up with the idea on a car ride a year and a half ago. We actually did outline the scenes before starting. I've done most of the work on the stageplay version, but want to switch it to a screenplay, since that is Chris's forte. Since Chris and I are working on this together (I write most of the dialog; he helps with the general story idea), this one needs to wait until we have time to work together. That means January at the soonest.

And I even have a story idea for next year's NaNoWriMo, when I will be ready for something new. I just can't juggle multiple projects without dropping them, so I need to concentrate on one at a time.

That's what I'm writing.

I actually do some of my writing in longhand and then type it up later. Sometimes I type directly. It really depends on what mood I'm in and what resources I have available. When I'm revising, I tend to do a lot of longhand, in red pen, on the printed pages. I can arrow stuff around and do insertions (I know, I can do that on the computer too, but it isn't the same as seeing what I've done).

I sometimes wear a writing outfit of cozy pajama pants, a shirt, my big black sweater, slippers.

I read recently a nice blog article about writer's block that really resonated. The gist is that no one gets talker's block, so why do they get writer's block. If you are a writer, go read it. I'll wait.

What did you think? Eye opening? He makes sense. I'll even add to his cure for writer's block: talk. When I get stuck, I bounce my story off Chris and he helps me get to the next scene (or the one after that). Just by listening and letting me talk about it. I probably don't even need to talk TO him. I bet a voice recorder would do just as well.

An example: at the last Bloomington Screenwriter's Community meeting, a writer was explaining how she didn't know where to start, then told us what her story was about. She does know where to start, she just has trouble writing it down. We suggested she record herself talking about it and she'll have the whole thing down in no time.

That's pretty much how I write.

So why do I write? Because I have these stories inside me and I want to share them. Finding the right words and being able to express these characters who inhabit these incredible worlds and do amazing things? What could be better than that?

The letter

This week's prompt from the Red Dress Club was intriguing, so I tried my hand at it.

 "You or your character find a forgotten letter or card from someone important in your life--whether good or bad.  What does it say?  How does it affect you or your character?  What is done with it?

"Keep your posts to 600 words and come back and link up on Friday, July 1st!"

Here's the background on this. I took characters from my NaNoWriMo novel, which I am currently revising, and put together a scene. It turns out this scene fits really well into the story, so I am actually adding it.... to the final chapter. So, if you are in my writing group or otherwise don't want the story spoiled, you've been warned. This will spoil several surprises.

     The telling of the tale didn’t take very long. When all was done, the fact remained that Crofter’s Edge was just as bare as when Alyth left.

     “Did you know abut the dragons, Grandmother?” Alyth asked. Her grandmother hadn’t seemed surprised to meet Rillen and Dargon, unlike her grandfather, who was still speechless.

     “I did, but…. I didn’t really believe it. And it didn’t matter anyway. At least, I thought it didn’t,” Grandmother admitted, rising from her chair. She crossed the room, pausing in the doorway to her bedroom. Her gaze rested on Rillen a moment before flickering back to meet Alyth’s eyes. “I have something to show you.”

     Grandmother disappeared into her room. They all waited quietly, the sounds of shuffling and scraping in the next room breaking the silence. Just as Alyth’s curiosity became too much, Grandmother emerged, gingerly holding a folded piece of yellowed paper.

     “Is that…?” Rillen caught her breath, unable to finish her question.

     Grandmother met Rillen’s eyes and nodded as she handed the brittle sheet to Alyth. Alyth hesitated a moment, frowning as tears appeared in Rillen’s eyes. She looked down at the paper in her hands, carefully unfolding it.

     “Its a letter,” she told Dargon and her grandfather. “Written in a very elegant hand,” she added. She read it silently to herself, then cleared her throat to read it aloud.

                “My dearest, beloved Suva,

                “I want you to know first that you and your father are the best things that ever   
                happened to me. You may not believe me, but it is true. I don’t want to leave but I  
                must. There are so many things I need to tell you. I hope you will believe me.

               “I once was a dragon. The wheres and why-fors of how that all changed are too
               complicated to explain. But the fact remains, and so you, too, carry dragon blood in 
               your veins. 

               “The dragon blood is where your special gift comes from. It’s something to be proud 
               of but not everyone will understand. That’s also where you get your glorious red hair.  
               That’s important, because you can identify your dragon kin by their red or black hair.

               “But that’s not the most important thing. What you need to know is why I must 
               leave. You see, dragons live a very long time. You must have noticed that I look 
               much younger than your friends’ mothers.

               “I can’t answer their questions, thus I must leave. That’s what my life has become: 
               always moving on. Except here. I stayed here and fell in love and raised a wonderful 
               daughter. I forgot myself for a time.

               “You need to know and understand this because I don’t want you to hate me. But 
               more importantly you need to know this because I don’t know if you will one day 
               need to leave for the same reason.

               “I never meant for all this to happen, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything.

               “With all my love, your mother,

               “Rillen”

Alyth wiped her eyes as she finished. She looked up to see Rillen with tears streaming down her cheeks. 

Miss Scarlet

This is a somewhat fictionalized memory written based on the following prompt from The Red Dress Club.

This week, we want you to recall the games you played when you were young.

Did you love Monopoly, Yahtzee, or Uno? Or did you prefer backgammon, Trouble, or Scrabble?

Write a piece that explores one of your memories.

Let's have a 600 word limit.

We all wanted to be Miss Scarlet. Six young girls sat on a suburban porch, game board balanced on a table made from an old electrical wire spool, ready to play Clue. But first we had to argue over a little red token.

"I'm the oldest. I get to choose first," my sister, Tracy, declared.

"Not fair! you would always go first if we did that," Sarah protested.

"I never get to choose first. I think it's my turn." It was true. Gretchen never got to choose first.

"I'm the youngest. Shouldn't I choose first?" I knew I would lose the argument, but it was worth a try.

"You know I'm always Miss Scarlet." Becky snatched up the prized piece, placing it triumphantly on the board.

"Hey!" her twin, Susie, exclaimed with a frown. But it had been inevitable. Sticking our her tongue, she quickly grabbed her second choice, Mrs. Peacock, and placed the blue token in its starting place.

The rest of us took our usual characters: Mrs. White for Sarah, Mr. Green for Tracy, Mr. Plum for Gretchen, and Col. Mustard for me. The game quickly got started, as it did each time. We searched for clues to who dunnit, drinking lemonade and laughing.

Later in the evening we would play Kick the Can or Leftover Sardines, ranging along the whole block, most yards open to us, but afternoons, in the heat of the day, we played board games on our front porch. Some days it was Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit or Mousetrap. 

It's funny, looking back. Any other game I would have picked yellow without thinking twice. Yellow was my favorite color back then, a happy, sunny color. Tracy was always green, her favorite color. But add the characters and their personalities... well, what little girl wanted to be one of the men?

I still have that same copy of Clue. It sits on the game shelf along with the new version of Clue and all our other games. It still has some of the old marked up clue sheets from when we were young. My husband and I don't play games as often as we'd like these days, but we try. Games matter. They have been an important part of both of our lives. 

our game stash

Oh, and sometimes Miss Scarlet did it.

Writers with Moxie and Determination

My writing group is a great group of women. We had our second official meeting last night, where we commented and critiqued each other's work. This week, four of us submitted chapters.

I really appreciate the feedback I get. I submitted 3 (short) chapters and there were some good questions asked. Questions for me tell me if I am telling the story I think I am. If the questions are things I answer later, I'm doing my job right. If not, maybe I need to change something. But so far all the questions are the ones I hope readers have at this point.

The group also asked for more dialogue, more character development, which is something I know I need to work on. While this 2nd draft is much better than the first, it's going to take hard work to flesh things out the way they need to be. My writing style has usually been "sweet and to the point". Drawing things out is a challenge, but it's a good one. I really like my story and think it has been well-received. I think it has a future. If I can polish it the way it needs to be polished.

And of course I still need a title.....

There are eight in our group, although only six of us attend regularly (sometimes it's hard with kids and husbands who work crazy hours.) Not everyone has something to submit each month. But the really exciting thing is that we are all doing something different. We have so far one memoir (truly fascinating!), two very different sci-fi pieces, a romance novel, a humorous fantasy short story, and my fantasy novel and very short play.

I've enjoyed each and every piece and we all have different voices along with our different genres. I look forward to our meeting each month.