Mary Rajotte’s Blog Posts

Sink or Swim

Writing today has been like pulling teeth.  Every word I have gotten down has only been made possible by clamping down on it, extracting it with all my might and tossing it down onto the page, bloody and lifeless. Maybe it's the fear of not finishing.  Though you would think that would just motivate me…

An evil, evil puppet master

I haven't gone to bed yet.  I know I will pay for this tomorrow.  But the moon was full and I was on a roll!  Nevertheless, it is a guaranteed fact that whenever I pull an all-nighter one of the following happens the next day: 1 – For some reason, some sort of work will…

Like Pulling Teeth

I dreamt last night that silverfish had found my chapters, character sketches, plot worksheets, and various other notes for my book and were happily feeding on them and turning them into piles of dust.  Not exactly a comforting thought as I sit here, more than 21,000 words behind schedule and with only 8 days to…

Lost in the Plot

How quickly the tide turns.  I'm feeling lost in my story today.  Trying to weave so many threads in, around and under one another, and feeling like I'm all thumbs. This is the biggest writing project I've ever attempted, and the first full-length story I've written for a few years, so when I get stuck…

The Lucky One

First snowfall of the year today.  The flakes aren't even flakes – they look like tiny beads of confetti or Styrofoam pellets floating down to the ground. Listening to soothing ambient music while the snow falls, working on the book, unplugged from the internet, drinking coffee – feels so right and makes me feel very…

The Pictures Are All I Can Feel

Various tones of streaky grey and white are brushstrokes across the sky today.  The trees, now in shades of crimson, rust and gold, look even more vibrant set against this monochromatic backdrop. The power is out today, so my only soundtrack comes from the traffic outside and the stack of CDs I've lined up for…