Welcome to Revision Saturday!!! Woo-hoo!
Do I sound overly excited? Perhaps a bit . . . insincere! : )
Once upon a time, in a different place and time, perhaps an alternate reality, I began this blog to track my writing progress. Somehow, this blog became something more than a daily status report of my writerly life.
I don't think it was a bad transition. In fact, I kind of like the new and improved blog.
Still, progress is progress and should be, every now and then, duly noted. Ooooh, I sounded kind of knowledgeable in that sentence. Go figure.
So, today, dear readers, this blog is traveling back in time to the very beginning, when it first emerged from the depths of my - sometimes - slightly depraved mind.
Today, I'm revamping - slightly, a tweak here or there, nothing major, no anesthesia needed - Chapter One of Margarita Nights.
Why?
Well, dear readers, fellow bloggers, aspiring writers, I don't like the opening of Chapter One. Nope. Not at all. I did, once upon a time, in the way of fairy tales and happy endings, but not anymore. I have no clue why. I'm just going with my instinct here.
Chapter One needs a slightly different opening. It doesn't need more impact or drama, just . . . something!
So, wish me luck as I open up the document in Word and began this minor surgical, no anesthesia needed, procedure. If you happen to hear a blood curdling scream at some point in the day . . . don't worry, it's just me going totally insane!
S
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Violinist
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned agasint the wall to listen to him, the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children.
All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it.
No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story.
Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people.
The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be – If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer in the feature writing category for Gene Weingarten’s April 2007 story about this experiment.
One last note ~
Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he’s really bad? What if he’s really good? Do you have time for beauty? Should you? What’s the moral mathematics of the moment?
So, this post has little, and everything, to do with writing, but, for me, it is still important.
There is infinite beauty in the world, and the written word. There are passages that make me laugh, and passages that make me cry. There are passages that make me so very angry.
In the end, every little passage should tie together in a neat little emotional package that affects your readers and makes them remember your book long after they read . . . The End.
Don’t skimp on the beauty of the written word, the emotions: humor, sadness, anger, joy, whatever. Infuse your writing with those emotions. Infuse the beauty of the world around you into your writing, the story your want to tell, so that people don’t just read you once, but many times over.
So, my questions, dear readers, is pretty much the same: Do you have time for beauty? Do you take time to smell the roses, coffee or whatever? Do you take time to listen to the leaves – popping, popping, popping – as they fall from a tree on a cold Autumn morning? Do you stop when the cardinal sings it’s trilling song? Do you watch the hummingbirds battle over the feeder? Do you stop or do you just keep on walking?
Last, but not least . . .
. . . find moments to stop and listen, to enjoy the world around you!
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned agasint the wall to listen to him, the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children.
All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it.
No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story.
Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people.
The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be – If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer in the feature writing category for Gene Weingarten’s April 2007 story about this experiment.
One last note ~
Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he’s really bad? What if he’s really good? Do you have time for beauty? Should you? What’s the moral mathematics of the moment?
So, this post has little, and everything, to do with writing, but, for me, it is still important.
There is infinite beauty in the world, and the written word. There are passages that make me laugh, and passages that make me cry. There are passages that make me so very angry.
In the end, every little passage should tie together in a neat little emotional package that affects your readers and makes them remember your book long after they read . . . The End.
Don’t skimp on the beauty of the written word, the emotions: humor, sadness, anger, joy, whatever. Infuse your writing with those emotions. Infuse the beauty of the world around you into your writing, the story your want to tell, so that people don’t just read you once, but many times over.
So, my questions, dear readers, is pretty much the same: Do you have time for beauty? Do you take time to smell the roses, coffee or whatever? Do you take time to listen to the leaves – popping, popping, popping – as they fall from a tree on a cold Autumn morning? Do you stop when the cardinal sings it’s trilling song? Do you watch the hummingbirds battle over the feeder? Do you stop or do you just keep on walking?
Last, but not least . . .
. . . find moments to stop and listen, to enjoy the world around you!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Nine Steps of Creativity
Hop on over to Adventures in Writing and read this post: Is creativity a “joyful struggle”? It’s very interesting, and there’s a video to go along with these nine steps of the creative process.
Here are the steps:
Here are the steps:
- Intended Outcome
- Information Gathering
- Information Analysis
- Incubation
- Insight
- Inspiration
- Integration
- Implementation
- Incarnation
For me, the list would read as follows
- Inspiration
- Intended Outcome and/or Incubation
- Incubation and/or Intended Outcome
- Integration
- Information Gathering
- Information Analysis
- Implementation
- Insight
- Incarnation
In order of appearance, here are a few explanations to my madness . . .
Inspiration – doesn’t any idea begin with inspiration, that sly, capricious entity who dances away from us more than She dances with us?? I mean, without the lovely Inspiration how would an intended outcome even exist?
Intended Outcome and/or Incubation – for me, this step is probably third in the process since after the initial Inspiration I need to decide whether I’m going to write a short story, novella, or novel. With this logic, intended outcome really must come in third, rather than second. Sorry intended outcome, but I just stripped you of that beautiful ribbon you were given for coming in second.
Incubation and/or Intended Outcome – seriously people, once the initial burst of brilliance hits me, I need to step back and think for a while, thus the incubation period of the Inspiration.
Integration – this is where I take the Inspiration + Incubation and/or Intended Outcome and merge everything together into a coherent plan.
Information Gathering – well, I have my Inspiration so now I need to gather the necessary pieces to fit the puzzle together. Where is the story going to take place? Is it fantasy? Vampire novel? Heaving bosom romance novel? Snarky diatribe on the State of Margaritas???
Information Analysis – okay, here’s where I decide what pieces of information I need, and how in the crap I’m going to fit them together to form brilliant coherence!
Implementation - here's where I really begin to write.
Insight – hmmmm, I’m guessing insight is what happens as I’m writing and suddenly go in a different direction then originally intended. This is the point where I hit the wall and can’t figure out what to do next. This, my friends, is instinct.
Incarnation – finished, done!! The End!!
How about you? What order would you place the nine steps of creativity??
BTW, I do hope you checked out the blog post at Adventures in Creative Writing.
S
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Words, Words, and More Words
As everyone should know by now, I've been in the midst of eliminating a gazillion words from my manuscript. It's been a very slow and world weary process.
I am, making some progress. I've eliminated about 15,000 words so far, with about 15,000 to go, or maybe only 5,000.
This past weekend was spent searching and eliminating, sometimes replacing the word about. Slow. Tedious. Arrrrgghhhh!
Well, about is only the first word in a list of words suggested for elimination by Rachelle Gardner in her post about Tighten Up Your Manuscript back in August. The full list of words is . . .
about, actually, almost, almost, like, appears, approximately, basically, close to, even, eventually, exactly, finally, just, just then, kind of, nearly, practically, really, seems, simply, somehow, somewhat, sort of, suddenly, truly, utterly, were.
Yeah, that's a heck of a lot of words to search/eliminate. Did I mention that's a heck of a lot of words to search/eliminate?
Still, I need to eliminate words, and this is a good start. In many cases, a word can just go - poof - and be gone from the manuscript. In other cases, the word goes - presto chango - and becomes a different word. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!
Rachelle also gives some great advice on other ways to tighten up your manuscript so, you know the routine . . . CLICK the LINK!!!
The advice is extremely helpful and has really aided the elimination process, at least for me.
Now, in a similar vein, Janet Reid did a post called Let's Have a Pop Quiz in which she answered some burning questions we all probably have, so CLICK the LINK!!
The basics of her rant (trust me, it's a rant) is . . . if an agent speaks/blogs/whatever . . . LISTEN. Agents know what they are talking about. Agents know what they want from an aspiring and/or published writer! Agents, for the most part, are in the know.
So, since agents are in the know, it made sense to pull out Rachelle's post as I near the end (well, at least for this round) of the revision process and follow her nifty little advice as much as possible.
S
I am, making some progress. I've eliminated about 15,000 words so far, with about 15,000 to go, or maybe only 5,000.
This past weekend was spent searching and eliminating, sometimes replacing the word about. Slow. Tedious. Arrrrgghhhh!
Well, about is only the first word in a list of words suggested for elimination by Rachelle Gardner in her post about Tighten Up Your Manuscript back in August. The full list of words is . . .
about, actually, almost, almost, like, appears, approximately, basically, close to, even, eventually, exactly, finally, just, just then, kind of, nearly, practically, really, seems, simply, somehow, somewhat, sort of, suddenly, truly, utterly, were.
Yeah, that's a heck of a lot of words to search/eliminate. Did I mention that's a heck of a lot of words to search/eliminate?
Still, I need to eliminate words, and this is a good start. In many cases, a word can just go - poof - and be gone from the manuscript. In other cases, the word goes - presto chango - and becomes a different word. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!
Rachelle also gives some great advice on other ways to tighten up your manuscript so, you know the routine . . . CLICK the LINK!!!
The advice is extremely helpful and has really aided the elimination process, at least for me.
Now, in a similar vein, Janet Reid did a post called Let's Have a Pop Quiz in which she answered some burning questions we all probably have, so CLICK the LINK!!
The basics of her rant (trust me, it's a rant) is . . . if an agent speaks/blogs/whatever . . . LISTEN. Agents know what they are talking about. Agents know what they want from an aspiring and/or published writer! Agents, for the most part, are in the know.
So, since agents are in the know, it made sense to pull out Rachelle's post as I near the end (well, at least for this round) of the revision process and follow her nifty little advice as much as possible.
S
Monday, October 5, 2009
Elana . . . ROCKS!!
So, everyone by now knows about Elana's EBook From the Query to the Call! If you don't, click right on over to her site and buy the book!
I bought the book, slightly delayed because of technical malfunctions with Google Checkout. I mean, seriously people, I tried time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time . . . again.
I received the same error over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over . . . again!
F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N!!
I love the book. It's to the point, concise, and contains Elana's distinct personality. It doesn't contain the nifty bookcover picture of Elana . . . but you can check that out on her site.
The book is very helpful - nifty little worksheets to help in crafting the hook, lovely linkity-links, and so much other information your head just might explode! Seriously!
So, this post today, is just a great big THANKS to Elana for taking the time/effort to compile this resource and get it out there to every aspiring writer in the blogsphere, and facebooksphere, and everywhere!
S
I bought the book, slightly delayed because of technical malfunctions with Google Checkout. I mean, seriously people, I tried time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time . . . again.
I received the same error over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over . . . again!
F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N!!
I love the book. It's to the point, concise, and contains Elana's distinct personality. It doesn't contain the nifty bookcover picture of Elana . . . but you can check that out on her site.
The book is very helpful - nifty little worksheets to help in crafting the hook, lovely linkity-links, and so much other information your head just might explode! Seriously!
So, this post today, is just a great big THANKS to Elana for taking the time/effort to compile this resource and get it out there to every aspiring writer in the blogsphere, and facebooksphere, and everywhere!
S
Friday, October 2, 2009
Friday . . .
No great, in-depth, brilliant post today, so I thought I'd share a very appropriate email I received yesterday . . .
Important Health Issue:
Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.
Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.
Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.
Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.
Side effects may include:
Important Health Issue:
Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.
Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.
Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.
Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.
Side effects may include:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Incarceration
- Erotic lustfulness
- Loss of motor control
- Loss of clothing (ooohh, this happened to a friend of mine on Halloween - not pretty, not at all)
- Loss of money
- Table dancing (hmmmm, is that what I did that night - omg!)
- Headache
- Dehydration (drinking more margaritas might help alleviate your thirst - i'm just saying . . . )
- Dry mouth
- And a desire to sing Karaoke (bad, very bad, step away from the microphone)
WARNINGS:
- The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
- The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
- The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.
- The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse without spitting.
Please share this with other people who may need Margaritas.
Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!!
S
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Fear of Failure
Only thing we have to fear, is fear itself - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Do you fear failure? Does it keep you up at night? Does it cause your brow to furrow furiously? Whoa, trying saying that five times fast!! Does it cause you to twitch at odd moments? Does your mouth get all dry? Do you fear your brilliance will never shine forth? That you'll never write an acceptable query? That you'll never find an agent, an editor, a publisher, your space on the shelves at Borders?
Aren't we all plagued by similar fears? Do we give in to these fears or do we . . .
Now that I've spent the night thinking about it, I think that Robert's advice to me about being a book publisher really applies to anyone who wants to work in the industry in any capacity--but perhaps especially to writers. To sustain a state of high tension and desperation--you know, the kind the whole submission process usually creates--is not only physically exhausting, it's creatively exhausting. It also makes us less likely to make wise decisions when we're presented with opportunities. Paychecks aside--and let's face it, even the best-paid among us would-be publishing/published peeps don't make THAT much money--I think we survive by letting go of a fear of failure. Our desperation makes us lose sight of what we got into this for--in many cases, to write. Writing is the joy, and if you are joyful you have not failed. We should be happy when good things come about, but not live in fear that they won't.
The above comes from Moonrat's blog post yesterday, which Janet Reid directed me to here.
I don't think truer words (well, other than I'm writing the most brilliant novel ever) have ever been spoken.
We cannot let fear of failure rule our lives. We must plod ever forward, writing, writing, writing, editing, editing, editing, on to the next project, on to the next project, on to the next project, query, wait, query, wait, query, wait, play some Bejeweled Blitz, write, write, write . . . and so on. Yeah, fear of failure lurks in the back of my mind. It happens. But . . .
. . . well, read the italicized section above, especially the last line that I'm about to happily copy and paste . . .
We should be happy when good things come about, but not live in fear that they won't.
S
Do you fear failure? Does it keep you up at night? Does it cause your brow to furrow furiously? Whoa, trying saying that five times fast!! Does it cause you to twitch at odd moments? Does your mouth get all dry? Do you fear your brilliance will never shine forth? That you'll never write an acceptable query? That you'll never find an agent, an editor, a publisher, your space on the shelves at Borders?
Aren't we all plagued by similar fears? Do we give in to these fears or do we . . .
Now that I've spent the night thinking about it, I think that Robert's advice to me about being a book publisher really applies to anyone who wants to work in the industry in any capacity--but perhaps especially to writers. To sustain a state of high tension and desperation--you know, the kind the whole submission process usually creates--is not only physically exhausting, it's creatively exhausting. It also makes us less likely to make wise decisions when we're presented with opportunities. Paychecks aside--and let's face it, even the best-paid among us would-be publishing/published peeps don't make THAT much money--I think we survive by letting go of a fear of failure. Our desperation makes us lose sight of what we got into this for--in many cases, to write. Writing is the joy, and if you are joyful you have not failed. We should be happy when good things come about, but not live in fear that they won't.
The above comes from Moonrat's blog post yesterday, which Janet Reid directed me to here.
I don't think truer words (well, other than I'm writing the most brilliant novel ever) have ever been spoken.
We cannot let fear of failure rule our lives. We must plod ever forward, writing, writing, writing, editing, editing, editing, on to the next project, on to the next project, on to the next project, query, wait, query, wait, query, wait, play some Bejeweled Blitz, write, write, write . . . and so on. Yeah, fear of failure lurks in the back of my mind. It happens. But . . .
. . . well, read the italicized section above, especially the last line that I'm about to happily copy and paste . . .
We should be happy when good things come about, but not live in fear that they won't.
S
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