WIP Wednesday: Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

Published: September 8, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: , , ,

Finger PaintIt's been a while since I've done a WIP Wednesday post (not to mention There's A Story In There Somewhere or Altered Words – but I digress) – but I finally have a new WIP to talk about!

More than once, when I've been in the beginning stages of working on a story, certain strange coincidences come up that make me think I'm on the right track.

Sure, I could be grasping at straws – reading into it as a way to counteract that nagging self-doubt that tries to thwart me even before I start. But whether it's all in my head or the universe is working to prod me along…I'll take whatever I can get – even if it comes in the form of a weird coinkidink.

Wanna know what gave me that extra boost? Among other things, this news story about a "found" ancient city that was buried under water.

The entire book (NaNo 2010) will not revolve around a formerly-lost city – but the theme of things once buried that rise to the surface will definitely be in there.

Anyway, I plod along. I'm a bit behind – I wanted to start outlining this week. But right now I'm still brainstorming, putting pieces together. I think of it as dipping my fingers into as many pots of fingerpaint as possible. When I find the right ones, I'll smear them across the page and the story will materialize in the melding.

How poetic!

Photo: i3Marketing

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Vacation’s (Almost) Over

Published: September 2, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: ,

It's September and I'm kind of on the fence about it. 

Yeah, I'm sad to see Summer end – but it has been SO muggy this year that I'm really looking forward to the temperature cooling down (especially with my latest order from Sock Dreams currently whisking it's way to me as we speak. Uh huh, I get excited about socks. Don't judge.).

Sure, I feel like we didn't do half the things we planned to do. But who says the fun has to stop just because the calendar changes?

To cushion the blow, I have a long list of things I need to tackle and/or get back to. Regularly scheduled blogging. Getting back into the swing of article-writing. That oft-talked-about contest that I still have the swag for. And a little thing called NaNoWriMo.

I told myself I would start planning early this year. So, September is my month to dust of the ol' worksheets and start outlining. There's only one problem. Uh…I'm not sure what I'm going to write about yet.

I did a little pre-emptive strike on my Idea File last week and have narrowed down the possibilities to 2. So hopefully I can get in a little brainstorming in the next few days to see which one is viable (and which one piques my interest more). Then it's time to build the story and a world for my characters to play it all out. 

Sounds easy, right? :) Yeah, it seems like a lot of work but the brainstorming part is a mix of fear (of not being able to come up with a good idea) and exhilaration (when all those crazy ideas suddenly click) that is addictive, as many of my fellow writers can attest to.

So dry your tears (or put on your party hats, writing Moms & Dads) and tell me what your plans are for September.

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Only Doesn’t Matter

Published: August 20, 2010Posted in: On LifeTags:

The world is much smaller and the ability to connect with people a lot easier these days.

Jamie EybergMaking friends online is, in my opinion, akin to making them in real life. We share our thoughts, our words, our lives, often in a way that is more intimate and in no way less meaningful than were we to meet face-to-face.

Although I had never "met" Jamie Eyberg, he was a friend. We shared chit-chat, jokes, commiserated over the push & pull of life on our writing time; bonded over music, encouraged and lent an ear, a shoulder or just a friendly 'hi' throughout the day.

As many of my readers are fellow writers and friends of Jamie's as well, we were all shell-shocked and devastated to hear of his & his wife Ann's passing in a tragic accident on their farm last weekend. It took me some time to gather my thoughts for this post because I was literally blind-sided, almost winded, when I heard the news, as I know everyone else was. It's still difficult to believe.

To the outside observer, we may be considered as "only" online friends. To me, "only" doesn't matter. "Only" denies the importance of these friendships and the impact virtual friends can have on our lives. There is still a hole in all of our hearts as we all miss a wonderful, funny, creative, loving friend and mourn for the loss of his wife, ache for the pain his children are feeling and feel deeply for their families and friends.

"Only" doesn't matter – to me or to those who never had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face with Jamie. We miss him all the same.

RIP, friend. 

If you want to get involved:

  • Aaron Polson is donating the proceeds of this year's 52 Stitches Anthology to Jamie & Ann's children
  • Doc Pus & Kody Boye are collecting donations & auction items whose monies will also go to the Eyberg children
  • Doc Pus & the Library of Horror will donate proceeds from the Witches Anthology to the fund
  • You can sign the book of condolence & find out more about the Memorial Fund here
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Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Published: August 6, 2010Posted in: On Life, On WritingTags: ,

Taking a break – whether for half an hour or a week – can be a challenge. My mind is constantly going over story ideas, articles for my 5 different columns, things I need to update on my various websites (I have 6!), stuff going on IRL, chores around the house, taking time for myself…

When I stop & think about it all, I wonder how I get anything accomplished without short-circuiting :)

My mini-break seems to be a good idea. Next week we prep for our camping trip, which sees us leaving town a day earlier than I thought. I love you guys & miss the daily chats, but I am SO ready for an internet break! So, over the next week, I'll be busier than ever, trying to pre-write articles to post while I'm away.

In the back of my mind, I cannot stop planning, though. When we get back from our trip up North, I want to start thinking about (and maybe even outline) my NaNo '10 project. At this moment, I have no idea what I am even going to write about!

Of course, I'll still bring a notebook to jot down any brilliant ideas that come my way. But mostly, I am going to enjoy propping my feet up, roasting corn on the fire, sitting lakeside, toasting marshmallows and staring up at the stars at night.

If I can just make it through this next week!

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Off The Blog Wagon

Published: July 26, 2010Posted in: On Freelancing, On Life, On WritingTags:

Things are a bit crazy around here, and I think my exile from socializing might continue for a little while longer.

As I mentioned, I've picked up some new freelancing work, so I'm trying to keep up with the old stuff while getting some new topics going. I'm also finishing up the design and content for Miss Write, which will be launching by the end of the weekend (I hope!). It won't have much content to begin with because I was going to wait until September to launch it, but I'm running an ad in the digital edition of Shroud so I wanted to get the site up now. But just you wait! I've got many things planned for the site and I'm super-stoked and inspired about it. It will include some of my writing articles plus tons of new content, so stay tuned!

I decided to make the decision to drop WeSeWriMo. I hate to do it but things are just too nuts right now. We just came back from vacation, and we go camping in about 3 weeks. All of this, coupled with my juggling of work stuff, and I needed to let something go before I go b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

I hope to get at least some fiction writing in these next few weeks – because I will certainly become Miss Grumpy if I don't – but I'm not sure how much it will be. 

Summer is supposed to be for vacation, right?! I feel busier now more than ever.

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Altered Words – The Dead Ones

Published: July 23, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: ,
The Dead Ones

When night fell
he put on a long black gown
and when the last stroke of the clock faded
he cried out with a loud shrill voice,
"Behold, the dead ones!
Gather their bones together.
Come, come crawl into the graveyard.
Your desire, I'll follow."

- from The Master Thief in The Complete Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm – Page 604


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Writing Wednesday: Deadlines & Dead Lines

Published: July 21, 2010Posted in: On Freelancing, On WritingTags: , ,

I always know when a story is done because I hate the sight of it and cannot stand reading it for another minute.This comes after:

  • the I'm-so-brilliant stage where I can't believe the amazing idea I concocted
  • the this-is-the-worst-thing-I've-ever-written stage, which comes when I am ~this~ close to being finished and am trying to avoid the inevitable ending and having to find something else to work on

The good news is I'm now at the it's-really-truly-finally-finished-and-I-kinda-like-it stage. Which means one more read, final polishing, and then I'll submit it.

I've been in a funk since Christmas and have started about a billion stories but haven't finished one so this is extra good news for me.

Thankfully I had a few good beta readers point out some places to improve, so I snipped the dead lines and now it's all shiny & pretty (or at least as pretty as a horror tale can be).

So, after I take my editing cap off, I'll be donning my brainiac cap for some new articles I'm working on. I picked up 3 new columns, and 2 of the articles I've claimed are new territory for me. I hope I don't blow it :) But it'll be nice to branch out from always writing about writing. And having actual deadlines will help, since with Examiner I can post whenever I feel like it.

Anyway, you can check out my first article in the Books column at Bright Hub (okay, so I'm not in completely foreign territory with that topic. But feel free to comment!). I'll be sure to let you know when my other articles are out.

So, there you have it. Busy, busy as usual but it's all writing so it's also all good.

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Writing Wednesday: Winding Down

Published: July 7, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Photo: Janelle Vanden BergAs a freelancer (and sometimes work-a-holic), taking time off can be a struggle. We feel like we should always be working, doing more, and when we don't, we often guilt ourselves into compensating the next day with more work than we started out with.

Not this time.

I'm taking next week off and I am SO ready for it. I have blogs I want to write, articles I should finish beforehand – but it all amounts to doing double the work this week, and I just can't get my head into it.

The good news is I have fallen back into a regular writing routine after struggling for a few months there. But I'm afraid I'll slip right back into my funk when I take the entire week off.

On the other hand, we have some fun activities planned and haven't I said before that sometimes you just need to decompress and be inspired by life in order to have something that's worth writing about?

So really, the guilt and pressure are all self-imposed. How about a little self-imposed pleasure? Dip my toes in the pool, soak up some sun, eat some ice cream and get away for a while, right? It'll all be waiting for me when I get back.

My Works-In-Progress

  • Well, it took a few weeks longer than I thought but I finally finished my tweet-inspired tale! Maybe once it finds a home, I'll spill the beans on whose tweet inspired me
  • I haven't even started planning my WeSeWriMo project yet, not really! I've tried but keep getting stuck. Maybe my week off will allow my thoughts to settle and the perfect idea will come to me. I hope…
  • Instead of driving myself completely insane, I'm going to hold off on my RPP idea until later. I haven't even looked at it since NaNoWriMo – I imagine it will need a lot of reworking, which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes the editing goes smoother than diving into something new
  • I've been meaning to finalize my swag giveaway but it keeps getting pushed to the backburner. I'll need to tackle it when I'm back.
So, how to you cope with being constantly on the go and finding it hard to take some time for yourself? Think I'll be able to cope?!

Fellow WIP Wednesday posse:

If you’re a writer participating in WIP Wednesday, post a link to your blog in the comments! More info on the WIP Wednesday initiative can be found at Kate Karyus Quinn's blog.

Fellow members of The Creative Alliance:


Want to know where all the cool kids go? Check out TCA and join us! Writers, artists, musicians – unite!
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Altered Words – Dark Light

Published: July 6, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: ,

click to supersizeFrom Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Pg. 61

everywhere
the scent of pale flowers in soft soil.
the dark aromatic light…
the trees…
still…
paused…
utterly alone.

—————————

Do you own a copy of Lord of the Flies? What poem can you find inside? Share it in the comments!

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Music Monday Has A Migraine

Published: July 5, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: , ,

There is a heatwave here in Toronto and it is supposed last through the week.

I am not a delicate little flower by any means, but with heat, smog and humidity advisories being issued by the city, I am doing my best to stay cool and not provoke any headaches.

So, today's musical choice is Travis. Mellow without being overly stimulating, which suits editing quite nicely (my task for the day).

I fell off the blogging wagon last week, but I've also been networking with my fellow freelance writers a lot lately, which is something I hadn't really worked into my schedule up to now. It's great to have the same support for my articles as I do from my fellow fiction writers for my stories.

The only thing I have to watch out for is remaining too tethered to the computer. Besides needing to give my eyes a break, Summer only lasts for so long (even if it is sweltering out there) so best to enjoy it.

Maybe the Birthday Gods will get my a snazzy new gadget to take outside with me so I can while away my hours writing under a shady tree.

Or – uh – I could just grab my pen & paper :)

Stay cool, kids!




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