From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

It's been a while...a long while. What's that adage about life happening when you were busy making other plans? Yeah, that happened. I remember finishing last year's A-Z blog in April, then I wrote my reflection post in May---which was closely followed by a depressing Mother's Day post (that I have since removed). And then, there's nothing. After that, I sort of faded away from the blogoshere--quite unintentionally. One missed blogging day turned into one missed blogging week, which became a month and now, finally, a year... I never planned on dropping out of sight, but then, life stuck its nose in and messed up my plans. Sad thing, nothing noteworthy happened during my year-long hiatus. I just did other things. I did complete another year of NaNoWriMo -- my 8th year--in November! And, it was the first year that I blew away the word count goal and set my personal best at 85K!! So, there was definitely a noteworthy month during my absence. Christmas cam...

I don't know of anyone who isn't in some way moved by music (and its numerous derivations). It's hypnotic and all-consuming, if we're in the right frame of mind and the right piece is playing. Even those with less-than-functional hearing can still be moved and soothed by the steady thrum and vibrations that music provides. Place your hand on a throbbing speaker, eyes closed and mind clear, and you'll find your heartbeat slowing--- even if it's a fast-paced, eardrum-piercer pounding through the air. It's the regularity of rhythm, much like the beating of a parent's heart, the pulse of their breathing, that soothed us during times of stress when we were infants. Music is a language that needs no translation. It affects/changes our mood, just because it's there...just because it struck something deep inside us. We are at once invigorated, incensed or inspired. We become melancholy or morose. Our sympathies are wrung from inside. Our passions are i...

Asdfja;eijakfglkaj;kdslfva..f jaoiefk = the most intelligent thing I've written in a while.... It's the second month in a new year, and I haven't found time to update my blog since the second week in November--- not that I'm surprised, Christmas in retail doesn't leave a lot of time to breathe, let alone time to think/write. My lack of Resolutions this year means I'll probably get quite a few things done, as I often find the more I say I'll get done, the less I actually do--- If I were to name a Resolution for this year, it would definitely involve writing--- writing more, and finally submitting said writing... still trying to get over that last hurdle of fear that's keeping me from actually putting work out there. I am moving forward, albeit at a snail's pace. I would really like to participate in Write1Sub1 this year, the challenge fashioned after Ray Bradbury's school of Persperistence --- writing and submitting 1 story every week. I...

Title: D.E.A.T.H.-- Department of Eternal And Temporal Holdings Word Count: 12,047 Another 5 days have passed, with little progress made in the area of word count. Seems funny, really, that I can stall myself for days, when all I have to do is effectively vomit words onto a page. I mean, no one ever has to read this mess of a story. Why does it matter if only 1 page out of 25 makes sense? So what if I don't have an exact plot... I just have to put words down on a page, right? After passing the first hurdle of 10K words, which seems to be the necessary point for me to reach before a plot-less story suddenly starts writing itself, I can expect that the word count will go up exponentially.... the only thing stopping me, is ... me--- and my inability to sit myself down in front of the keyboard. Anyway, here's to renewed enthusiasm and an inspired word count... I could sure use the word count, lol--- What I've learned about my story these last few days--- --- souls onl...

Title: D.E.A.T.H.--Department of Eternal And Temporal Holdings Word Count: 8345 Well, the last 5 days haven't really left me where I should be with this year's project. Even if I hadn't lost 2K words from a stupid document-saving accident, I still wouldn't be where I should be.... Days 3-5 I barely wrote a word, though I did think of the project, A LOT-- see, I still didn't have a definitive plot. And though I've done a marathon 5K words today, I'm still about 5K behind goal. This is my 6th NaNo rodeo, so I know my "real" marathon word bursts are yet to come--- Every year that I've participated, it is always the first 10K words that are the hardest to write. Especially if I'm without a plot. I have to constantly remind myself that once I make it past the 10K mark, it's all gravy. (which sounds strange, I know, since there are still 40K words to write) But, there is something about moving from 4 numerical digits in my word count to ...

Title: D.E.A.T.H.-- Department of Eternal And Temporal Holdings Word count: 3376 So, today, while writing my quota for the day, I learned: Human souls are tradable commodities. The essence of the soul is enriched through its vessel's experiences. Everything was easy when humans weren't aware of their own mortality...souls could be placed, enriched, removed, traded, recycled and the process run all over again, without humans interfering. Now that humans are aware of death (though they have the wrong idea about what it means) they are doing everything they can to live as long as possible--- what are the Reapers, the Soul Takers and the Soul Sifters to do when they finally find themselves out of a job?? How can D.E.A.T.H. turn a profit if its product is tied up by the stubborn determination of the living??

My last post was probably more depressive than it was constructive, and definitely not what I intended to blog about--- but, it was a means of catharsis for me... the mess I'm dealing with is still very present and has not lessened in any way, but, my mood is somewhat lighter for having ranted. Now, to other news---   NaNoWriMo   started today. This will be my 6th year participating... For anyone who doesn't know, NaNoWriMo is a month-long writing project that challenges writers to create a 50,000-word "novel" in 30 days. Any writer that completes the daily 1667-word quota will have a 50,000-word manuscript by November 30th. It's a daunting task, but it's a thrilling task. This year, just like last year, I am starting without any basic plot idea. It's amazing to watch a story write itself out of sub-conscious thought. I would love to tell you what my NaNo novel is about, but, I honestly have no clue. While my husband and the neighboring apartment...

So, I woke this morning, and would have sworn to anybody who asked me, that it was only the day after Halloween. As my last post was dated 10/31/11, I had no problem whatsoever believing that today was November 1st..... but, it's not---- sigh..... How a person goes about losing 20 days when they are not in a coma or some other unconscious, time-suspended kind of situation, is beyond me... clearly. But, a lot of things have whittled away the time and I was completely unaware of how quickly the month was passing. Nanowrimo started on the 1st. This is year 5 for me and the first time that I've ever started without a clear plot in mind... of course, that didn't mean I would easily give up. For the first week, in fact, I was right on schedule, my daily 1667-word goals adding up quite nicely. By week two, I found myself hotel-bound in Edwardsville, Illinois working on a bookstore remodel for my company. Anyone who's ever worked in book retail knows it isn't ...

Less than a month and the madness will begin.... I've actually become quite attached to the feeling of spiraling madness that comes with participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), linked  here . This will be my fifth year to partake in a month-long feat of literary abandon, the purpose of which is to come away with a 50K-word manuscript. That's right, you write a novel-length manuscript in 30 days. I have never written at such a frenzied, feverish pace, but, from year 1 I was hooked---addicted---obsessed. The adrenalin rush to write so much in so little time is beyond wonderful---it is such a high (there really is no other way to describe it).  This year's idea came from one mind-numbing day a couple of weeks ago. An injury at work had me side-lined for a couple of days, and I fought against my boredom, constantly. I couldn't seem to make my mind focus. The problem, mainly, is that I require so many things going on, the panicked fretting that I won...

Okay, so much of the problem I'm having with my WIP is coming from the criss-crossing my characters seem to insist on doing with each other. I should have known when I titled this story, Tangle of Matter and Ghost,  that I was sure to curse myself.... and this Voodoo hex may have no cure   >_< Quick list of characters: Aggie            Joseph           Billy          Ralph       Chester      Jefferson      Ambrose       Charlotte Emily            Aldia              Benjamin   Esther      Letty          Marie          Jebediah        Granny Preacher       Nathaniel Now the ties: Aggie/Joseph -- Runaway slaves dabbling in Voodoo Ol' Gray Granny -- Healer that...

......what did you find when you dug up the rest of the fossil ??? Stephen King likened the building of a story's plot with the digging of fossils. You see just the tip piercing through the ground... it could be the patella of a mastodon, the sternum of a coyote or the severed finger of a mob hit....but you'll never know unless you keep digging, right? I've had people ask, where do you get your ideas from? How do you know what you want to write about? Why did you write this story and not that story? Well, there's no easy answer.....and to show you how twisted, confused and random ideas can be, I'll share what led me to this past NaNoWriMo novel idea ..... "Tangle of Matter and Ghost"-- Title borrowed from the chorus of Leonard Cohen's, The Window . Thank you, Sarah Heustis, for finding that songbook in our "tent sale" books !! 1/ Watching an episode of Antiques Roadshow (I know, strange)...and a woman brought a Victoria...

Once again, I have come out of NaNoWrimo triumphant! Triumphant, that is, as far as word count goes. Year 4 found me completing my entry in a Baton Rouge hotel room. But, exactly what it is that I completed, I have not, as yet, figured out. I squeaked out a 50,023-word victory on Nov. 29th. I had hoped to be finished long before then, but life--as it always does--had other plans. But, I did finish....though what I'm left with is FAR from complete. "Tangle of Matter Ghost" had started as a tragic Victorian-ghost love-story, with a not-so-subtle nod to Gothic Lit....that was my intent anyway. Buuuuuuut..... somewhere along the way, about 5 or 10 thousand words into it, the story suddenly became a Civil War novel, centering on Voodoo, the horrors of war and what can happen if you take more than you can pay for....and what can happen if you take magic and you can not pay for that either. So, I have some 15 characters, 137 pages of mixed plot-lines, which is inter...

Two months can seem forever when so many things happen. 60 short days since my last post and suddenly we are at the end of October. Tomorrow is Halloween and for those of us that are NaNoWriMo regulars, it is our last "free" day until November 30th. Once the final bell rings at midnight on Halloween, we will be off and running in this year's race to complete our 50,000- word masterpieces---well, our 50,000-word first drafts :-) This month has been a roller coaster ride of emotion--- excitement with the impending NaNo adventure, doubt about completing the word quota, fear about the contest results from recent entries, elation about the results of one contest. Seems impossible to hold everything in perspective, impossible to continue the forward movement. But, it will continue, nonetheless. "Tangle of Matter and Ghost" is this year's NaNo title. The tiny kernel of a Southern Victorian Ghost/Voodoo story of cursed love and soul currency. I have a handful of...

Well, NaNoWriMo has come and gone again. And for the third year running, I have managed to pull out the 50,000-word quota...this year, about 1 1/2 hours before the wordcount validators were shut down. The novel is probably about 20-30 thousand words shy of being a full first draft, but what I have is definitely more than I thought I would have. When I first set out to write this year's novel, I was a little more than hesitant as I wasn't sure what this collection of stories would bring. Requiem made his debut, though slightly less than stellar, and several other unexpected characters popped up. If nothing else, this year's NaNo gave me a real exercise in instant storytelling. It was really exciting watching ideas and story lines pop out of nowhere. Hopefully, with the collection of plots and new characters, I'll be able to pull some very strong, and cross fingers, very good future novels!!! Yay, for NaNo!!!

Little more than 5 hours and the madness will ensue for the third year running. I am both excited and anxious about this year's attempt, probably because I'm venturing into untested realms of writing. I've never been strong at writing short stories and this year I plan on writing 12 with an underlying thread to connect them all, but still that's 12 short stories. Granted, they will probably be less in the realm of 'stories' and more in the realm of stream-of-consciousness, but still. So, this year's "novel" will be, in essence, a collection of scenes that are being stitched together for the purposes of providing my POV character with his greatest opus. And, without further ado...... Requiem: A Descent into Madness & other disturbing haunts Meet: Requiem , the offspring of Apollo, the god of music and literature, and Morta, the fate that cuts the thread of life. He is gathering movements from human life-stories for his own symphony. Torn by...

I sat down to write a note about my preparations for NaNoWriMo year 3 and I suddenly became aware that it has almost been a full year since I added a post. Funny how life gets in the way sometimes. This year has not been the easiest, but as each day passes I revel in the fact that I am one day closer to moving on, moving past, going forward or whatever the appropriate terminology is. This year has been a lesson in self-discovery, loss, fear and triumph. I have come to the full realization that I am no longer happy in the job that I am working and I am hoping that this discontent will fuel my passion to become a published author. With that goal in mind, my efforts post-nano will be doubly focused on making that dream a reality. By this time next year, I would like to be able to post a substantial number of submissions that I have made. It is time for me to step up from just writing to actually submitting. My chances of becoming published will only improve if I get my work out there, o...

Introducing: Digby Wilkins Jeremiah Bickles (known only as Bickles) Granville Isaacson Club Haunt Credo: Scientific Investigation of all things Paranormal This year's NaNo Novel wound up being something entirely different than I set out to do. Originally, I had planned a sequel to last year's novel 'Lost in the In-Between', but when it came time to start this year's NaNo Novel, I found that I wasn't interested in returning to the In-Between...at least not yet. I do have some ideas for Daniel Quinn's further adventures in the In-Between, but this year was not to be the year to write them. Before NaNoWriMo 2008, I already had the names of my characters and the club's credo, but until the month-long frenzy began, I had no idea what was going to happen in the story. I had no plot, no general outline, not even a not-so-general outline. All I had were three names and a short insert about how the three names came to be on the same club's roster. ...

So, my second attempt at NaNoWriMo ended with me squeaking out a win at the eleventh second of the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour. In fact, I cut it so close that I was sure the word count validator was going to shut off for the year 2008, declaring me a failure for the year. My final day of NaNoWriMo was my most frenzied writing escapade of my life thus far. After a full day's work at my day job--- in retail, mind you, during the holiday season---I came home ready to finish my 50,000 words and ready to be declared a winner. But, then the full reality of the task before me sunk in. I got home at 6pm and realized I was only at 40,000 words. I had until 11:59:59pm to write a full 10,000 words or face a year of personal defeat and humiliation. I was determined not to fail...especially after my pathetic attempt at Script Frenzy in April, but I don't want to mention that episode again. Well, I did the only thing that I knew how to do...I wrote my ass off. The adrenaline st...

It is officially October...the planning month for the frenzied month of November. This is the time to finalize and tie up any loose strings or pressing obligations that might interfere with next month's all-important and all-consuming goal--- cranking out a novel in 30 days. It doesn't seem possible that a whole year has passed since my first venture into NaNoWriMo. I, unfortunately, must admit defeat for the month of April. Script Frenzy came and went with barely a whisper of words captured. But, I must not dwell on this lest it mar my chances at winning my second year NaNovel. Last year's NaNovel --- Lost in the In-Between --- stands at 57,000 words and a triumph for me at hitting the 50,000-word mark by day 20. Unless things change in the near future, this year's book will probably be a sequel to Daniel's first experience in the In-Between. Possible ideas--- - Nightmares have taken over, now that the Dream Recycler has been d...

It had been my intention to use the last 10 days of NaNoWriMo to finish a straggling project that's been hanging around half-done for about a year and a half. But, now that I have this precious time, where I can still add to my NaNo word-count and can still take full advantage of all the support that comes with this month's writing frenzy, that seems to be the last thing I want to do. It isn't the project. No, I really like the idea for it....it just seems to be hanging. Just recently I decided to add 2 more Main Characters to fill out and balance the plot. I think it might be the 2 characters that are throwing me for a loop.....I have to discover who they are, and where they fit into my already existing document. At this moment I don't even know their names :( So, the question is, do I continue to try and slog through this project just for the intention of raising the word-count for NaNo? Or, do I spend the rest of the month plotting said project so that it may flo...